THE JOURNEY HOME JOURNAL
by: Bobby Manzano, President & Executive Director, OSP
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Kathy Magee was right – we’re family! The joy of giving binds us together; we have
the same DNA.
Words alone could not capture the fun, excitement and fellowship we had at the after-mission dinner so I’m sharing with the Operation Smile family a few photographs taken during the event. How I wish everyone could have been there.
Words alone could not capture the fun, excitement and fellowship we had at the after-mission dinner so I’m sharing with the Operation Smile family a few photographs taken during the event. How I wish everyone could have been there.
I would also like to share Dr. Bill’s and
Kathy’s message to the volunteers. Much to their regret, a previous commitment
to our long-time partner in Cebu kept them from attending the dinner.
The idea of how to
thank the Filipino people adequately for beginning Operation Smile 30 years ago
was one that was easy to conceptualize. Kathy and I knew fully well the reason
we came back to the Philippines after that first trip to Naga City in 1982 was
because we saw that a tremendous need existed. However, equally important was
the hospitality and warmth of the Filipino people and the beauty of their
culture, which was so responsive to help with what we knew we were able to
offer.
We also recalled the
strong history of camaraderie between the United States and the Philippines. We
had seen so many clips of Gen. MacArthur proclaiming the words "I Shall
Return," as he left the shores of the Philippines to reorganize and plan
the recapture of these islands. We believed that the strong stand that
MacArthur made in World War II on the warfront was analogous in some ways to
the stand that we were able to achieve in peacetime with humanitarian goals.
At that time in 1982,
there was no vision to expand Operation Smile beyond Naga City. However, as the
power of our relationship grew through the children of this beautiful country,
it became obvious that people of different cultures and different religions
could work side-by-side; that together they could enhance the friendships and
positive relationships throughout the word by caring for children.
Back in 1982, there
were but a few groups coming to the Philippines, sporadically, to help with the
cleft lip and cleft palate cases. As we exposed our friends to what we saw,
they also told their friends and their friends told their friends. At the same
time, the leadership of the Plastic Surgery Society and the other medical
societies in the Philippines joined us, and, hand-in-hand, we began to extend
our mission.
On the home front, in
the United States, a large Filipino-American community took on the challenge of
helping us to raise the money for the equipment and supplies that would make
these endeavors possible. Generous donors such as CBN and Dr. Pat Robertson
stepped up and not only offered us money for the missions but also film crews,
which the local film crews from our TV stations in Norfolk, Virginia joined, to
document and brand Operation Smile throughout the United States which led to
more volunteers, more money and more involvement.
Today, the fact that
Operation Smile is in over 60 countries and has operated on over 200,000
children worldwide with the involvement of over 7,000 volunteers is a testimony
to what began 30 years ago in Naga City.
Kathy and I felt that
the most appropriate way to thank the Filipinos was to acknowledge that their
country is "The Home of Operation Smile," and to ask our generous
medical and non-medical volunteers to consider a trip to nine sites in the
Philippines where they could, as part of a multinational team, use the skills
that they had acquired, in part due to their involvement with Operation Smile
in their own countries and in international missions abroad. This could be
accomplished by returning once again to the Philippines to stand side-by-side
with the Filipinos to help even more of their children who still have needs of
reconstructive surgery.
Tonight, we stand
together to demonstrate our unity and commitment. Volunteers, donors and staff
alike embrace a common goal, a wonderful sense of compassion and a commitment
to children worldwide. I know of no better place to demonstrate that than
within these beautiful islands. This moment in time will serve as a reminder of
what ultimately led to the creation of the world's largest surgical
humanitarian movement.
Each of you, who have
travelled from your home cities in the Philippines and from cities across the
world, serves as a living tribute to this message. You are an example to a
worldwide community that through the children of our world we are able to make
a statement that acknowledges that children are the only language that all of
us share in common; that Medicine is a powerful vehicle; and that their
combination has the ability to unite nations and people.
To the Operation
Smile "Family" consisting of our donors, our medical and non-medical
volunteer base, our Government Officials, our dedicated staff both here in the
Philippines and worldwide, and to the Mothers and Fathers who have placed their
trust in relative strangers to treat their most precious possessions, their
Children, Kathy and I say thank you.
Operation Smile would
only be a blip in time back in November,1982 if it had not been for all of you. You have
allowed this "Family" to expand into a worldwide movement. You're the best!
Respectfully,
Bill and Kathy Magee
