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IT CAN take as little as 45 minutes to create a smile and change someone’s life forever.  That, in essence, is the mission of Operation Smile – a private, non-profit international children’s medical charity that provides free reconstructive surgery and related healthcare to children and young adults suffering from facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate. 

Operation Smile began in the Philippines in 1982, the time when Dr. William “Bill” Magee and wife Kathy set foot in the country for a one-time medical mission in Naga City. Around 300 families traveled to the medical mission site, hoping to receive free reconstructive surgery for their children. However, the Magees and the team were only able to provide surgery for 40 children on that day.

“I remember a mother giving me a bunch of bananas as a thank you, even though we weren’t able to accommodate them,” Bill shares. It was this vivid memory of a mother’s gratitude – even if help was not really extended to her child – that tugged at the Magee couple’s hearts. They refused to look away from those children who so desperately needed help. That passion and drive led to them founding Operation Smile. Since that time, Operation Smile has returned to the Philippines to transform lives and bring smiles. The organization now works in over 60 countries and has developed a network of more than 5,000 medical volunteers from over 80 countries who all generously donate their time and skills to help children in need.

In celebratiion of Operation Smile’s 30th anniversary this year 2012, the organization will mark the occasion with a homecoming medical mission to the Philippines aptly dubbed “The Journey Home.” Designed to give back to the country that gave birth to what has become a global medical charity, Operation Smile will conduct 10 simultaneous international medical missions to give the gift of smile to at least 4,500  Filipino children and young adults over the course of 3 weeks in various parts of the country. 

“The Journey Home" anniversary medical missions will begin on October 25 -30, 2012 with a big international dental mission in Koronadal, South Cotobato. This will be followed by two waves of international surgical missions across four simultaneous sites: from November 8-18, 2012  in Naga City, Angeles City in Pampanga, Silay City and Cagayan de Oro City; and from November 22 - December 2 in Dasmariñas, Cavite, Manila, Cebu City and General Santos City. Truly a fitting tribute to the country where the spark of generosity and loving hearts from donors and volunteers first began!

“If it weren’t for the generosity and the hospitality of the Filipino people during our first medical mission, I don’t know if Operation Smile would have ever started. It was never our goal to form an organization or develop an infrastructure, but it happened. Today, we have more than 35 offices around the world – and it all began in the Philippines,” remarks Bill.

In a span of 30 years, Operation Smile has provided comprehensive healthcare evaluations for over 2 million patients and performed over 200,00 surgeries for children and young adults born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities worldwide.

“One of the things we have to realize is that when you have been given so many things, you just can’t take those for granted. We have to give back,” Kathy ends with the same smile that she is determined to give to many more children in the years to come.