In a whirl of extracurricular activities and academics, one club particularly stands out with a unique goal – drawing attention to the life-threatening conditions of cleft palate and cleft chin. The newly formed Arcadia Operation Smile Club aims to do just that. 

A club whose purpose is to build awareness, raise funds, and educate others on the mission of transforming the lives of those with cleft conditions, the Arcadia Operation Smile aims to support and uplift cleft patients. A cleft condition occurs when a child’s upper lip or mouth do not close properly during pregnancy, causing them to be born with a split or an opening in their upper lip. This often leads to problems with speech, feeding, and even dental health. 

The Arcadia Operation Smile Club is a smaller version of the much larger global Operation Smile, who, for 40 years and counting, have made it their goal to support life-saving surgeries, one step at a time. 

Operation Smile was first started in 1981, when a plastic surgeon and a nurse, Dr. Bill Magee and Kathy Magee, traveled to the Philippines to provide life-saving surgery for children with cleft lip and cleft palate. Though, at the time, they were only able to treat 40 children, over 300 families arrived, hoping their children would be able to receive care as well. Overwhelmed by their impact, the couple vowed to return to help even more people. 

By 1986, Operation Smile’s impact had reached so far throughout the globe that Mother Teresa personally wrote them a letter to recognize their work and to invite them to India.

Their work didn’t stop there, though. Driven by the desire to impact even more people, in 2007, alongside almost 2,000 volunteers from 80 different countries, Operation Smile provided surgery to 4,086 patients in just two weeks. 

A high school branch of Operation Smile, the Arcadia club models itself in the footsteps of the real deal. Though Arcadia Operation Smile doesn’t perform surgeries, they do their part by fundraising for a charity sponsoring cleft lip patients and making DIY presents for patients.

Caleb Chuang, junior Secretary, shares some of the upcoming activities the Arcadia Operation Smile Club has planned to extend help to the community.

“In the future, we plan to send out our handmade cards to patients in the Global Operation Smile program to support them while they’re awaiting or recovering from cleft lip surgery. I’m so beyond glad that we have this amazing opportunity to brighten up these people’s lives and hopefully, they’ll enjoy our work,” said Chuang.

The club meets every other Tuesday in room C110. You’ll never know what to expect from a meeting.

Caroline Santos, sophomore Activities Director, said, “Arcadia Operation Smile’s upcoming events include fundraising events aimed at raising awareness and funds for cleft lip surgeries worldwide. At the moment, we’re excited to announce our upcoming fundraiser implemented to help structure our club and provide for cleft lip patients around the world.”

Recently, they’ve begun their first fundraising event of the year by selling mango jelly cups, but that’s not all. 

Each meeting can either consist of bracelet making, writing letters, or other arts and crafts. These little trinkets are then gifted to cleft lip patients to uplift their spirits.

Avery Gu, junior Public Relations Officer, said, “Arcadia Operation Smile focuses on connecting with healthcare professionals, donors, and community advocates through targeted outreach. We’re excited about upcoming campaigns to put a smile on everyone’s faces!”

By attempting to combine fun with meaningful work, they’re able to bring in people who are interested in healthcare or simply want to make a difference in their community.