
The local chapter of Operation Smile holds its annual fundraising gala thisFriday.
By Melonie Magruder / Special to The Malibu Times
Most parents know what to expect from their teenager-astonishingly self-centered focus, a 30-second attention span and oblivion to much beyond their next text message. So when a group of high school students spends not just their own time and money, but their best fundraising skills helping people they’ve never met, it’s enough to make one smile from ear to ear.
The Malibu High School Chapter of Operation Smile is hosting its 3rd Annual Gala on April 27 at Saddlerock Ranch and Vineyard to raise funds and awareness for their cause. Operation Smile is an international medical mission that sends volunteer teams around the world to repair serious facial birth defects, burn scars and disease on poor children who might otherwise never live a normal life.
The charity is run by small chapters across the country like that of Malibu High School.
Nina Farag is a Malibu High School senior and has been involved with Operation Smile since the ninth grade. She went on a mission to Phnom Penh last year, working with the health teams to give presentations to villagers, discuss pre- and postoperative care with parents, and assist the dentists and surgeons in reviewing potential patients.
Two generations removed from Vietnam, it was Farag’s first exposure to Cambodia.
“We visited the killing fields and a prison. The people are so poor; some of them travel for a week, just to get to us,” she said. “Coming from the Malibu ‘bubble,’ it is a good thing to see how we can help these people.”
Farag enthusiastically spoke of how Operation Smile sends out advance teams to spread the word on their work. Lack of funds, disbelief that top-notch, western medical care would be available freely and plain superstition are some of the challenges that must be overcome just to get patients into the clinics.
“We also train local doctors and bring material support to local clinics,” Farag said.
She is planning to study speech pathology at college after she graduates this June.
Sarah Prunier is a teacher and advisor to the club for seven years now and has accompanied four missions overseas.
“I lucked into Operation Smile by default,” Prunier said. “I was a new teacher and the old school advisor was leaving and asked if I would like to step in. I never knew it would become so close to my heart.”
Founded in 1982 by Dr. William Magee, a plastic surgeon, the group sends medical teams into distant villages in Third World and war-torn countries from Vietnam to Nicaragua to repair the faces of children suffering from burns, cleft palates, tumors and other congenital defects. All patients come from extremely poor families who would otherwise never be able to afford care.
“Children with cleft palates sometimes cannot eat properly and die,” Prunier said. “In China, we have to fix their lips first to make them physically more acceptable and then we fix their cleft palates. It’s a cultural thing.”
There are other cultural problems as well.
“We were in Kenya when they brought in a little girl with a cleft palate,” Prunier said. “The villagers thought she was possessed by the devil and she was shunned. Her parents wouldn’t let her go to school. We fixed that.”
Another boy from the Philippines had a fast growing tumor on his jaw, which so disfigured him that he wasn’t allowed to leave his house. His jaw was repaired and the boy returned to the U.S. to further his education. He is now a successful businessman, married and a spokesman for Operation Smile.
“This boy loved the sound of rain,” Prunier said. “Because the only time he was allowed to leave the house was when it was raining and everybody else in the neighborhood would stay indoors.”
The missions of Operation Smile are aided by the advocacy of corporations like Citicorp and local celebrities like Roma Downey. This year’s fundraising gala will take place at the Saddlerock Ranch and Vineyard and will feature a gourmet dinner, live jazz from the Malibu Funk Band, a silent auction highlighted by cases of Saddlerock Reserve wines and guest speakers, including some of the students who went on missions last year.
“Next October, we’ll celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of Operation Smile,” Prunier said. “We’re planning on sending out 40 missions in one week all over the world.”
Tickets are still available for the Operation Smile Gala. Tickets and reservations can be obtained by calling Nina Farag at 310.600.0516 or Sarah Prunier at 310.457,6801, ext. 200.