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Since 1996, Operation Smile volunteers from Washington state have been on at least 20 trips to 10 countries treating over 3,000 children. They repair childhood facial deformities while building public and private partnerships that advocate for sustainable healthcare systems for children and families. Contact Us Monthly Meeting Board of Governors |
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Our volunteers reach out to each child, generously offering their time, their knowledge and their skills to assist in raising funds and awareness, or to participate on our medical teams. If you are interested in volunteering for Operation Smile, please see your area of interest below. Medical Professionals Students Businesses |
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For $240 or just $20 a month, you can change a child's life by giving the gift of a surgery that takes as little as 45 minutes. Many children are turned away because of a lack of funds. You can change that! Please join us by contributing whatever you can to support our upcoming medical missions. Supporters |
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Our standard International Medical Mission is comprised of a team of 35-40 credentialed medical professionals from Washington and other northwestern states who travel to partner countries to treat children during a two-week period. Between 100 to 150 children are treated on a typical Mission. |
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News and Events Auction and Dinner CruiseThe Members of the Washington Chapter of Operation Smile invite you to join them for An Evening of Smiles — our annual event to raise funds to repair childhood facial deformities in third world countries. Hosted on Royal Argosy Cruises on Saturday, November 18, 2006. Ticket information and details to be announced at a later date. Please check back.  University of Washington Students Get InvolvedThe mission of Operation Smile Student Association UW is to broaden student awareness of international medical needs in the third world countries, provide a framework for student participation in organized activities to support Operation Smile programs, and to provide unselfish service to the less fortunate.  Roma Downey invites you to be the miracle in a child's lifeAs an Operation Smile spokesperson and board member, I'm continually moved by how this amazing work changes children's lives. Take part in my recent journey to Vietnam and see some of these miraculous changes for yourself! See more news and events on our National Web site. |
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About Operation SmileOperation Smile is a private, non-profit medical services organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, with all-volunteer chapters throughout the United States. The organization was founded in 1982 by Dr. William Magee, a plastic surgeon, and his wife, Kathy, a nurse and social worker, after they returned from the Philippines overwhelmed by the number of children in need of such assistance. The group's mission is to (1) provide reconstructive surgery for children in developing countries with cleft lips and palates, facial tumors, burn scars, club feet and other orthopedic deformities and (2) train local medical staff in these surgery techniques and follow-up care. The incident rate for cleft lips and palates in developing countries is double that of the United States. But this isn't a matter of simple cosmetics. Children born with such facial problems often live in isolation. Too many have no access to modern medical care. Their speech and hearing is usually affected. Their ability to eat properly is affected, adding to existing risk overseas of malnourishment due to poverty and sometimes war. A 45-minute surgery corrects a cleft lip. A 90-minute surgery repairs the gaping hole where the roof, or palate, of the mouth should be. The difference in capabilities and self-esteem is incredible. It is the beginning of a physical and emotional healing that involves the whole family. Together, Operation Smile along with public and private partnerships create smiles, change lives, and heal humanity. |
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©2006 Operation Smile - Washington State Chapter. All rights reserved.