SHS Volunteers: Operation Smile Club
Two students at Scarsdale High School, Natalie Hu and Alexandra Simon, are volunteering to improve the lives of children around the world and are encouraging their fellow students to join them. They got involved through an Operation Smile Club during their freshman year.
Operation Smile is a global nonprofit dedicated to providing free reconstructive cleft surgery to areas of the world where it’s needed most. The Operation Smile Clubs encourage leadership, service, advocacy and education. “I became a really involved and active club member because I loved what Operation Smile was doing and I wanted to be a part of it,” explained Alexandria.
Through just one of their fundraisers, Natalie and Alexandra raised $1,000 for Operation Smile which ultimately allowed five people to receive free reconstructive cleft surgery and related care.
“The thing I love most about working as a volunteer is the feeling of accomplishment after an event. It takes a lot of time and effort to organize events, and it all pays off in the end,” Natalie said. “It is the combination of knowing that our work is paying off and that we are helping people all over the world in the process that makes volunteering valuable to me.”
Not only are these young women dedicated to helping those in other countries, through the Operation Smile Club, they also take an active role in helping their community. Over the summer, Natalie and Alexandria held their first food drive at Scarsdale High and collected over 250 food items that were donated to their local food pantry.
When asked about the food drive’s success, Alexandria stated “We got such great turnout from it that we are going to make it an annual event!”