Help Children Undergoing Life-Changing Surgery Through a Donation

Just $10 to ease a baby through a surgery that will give them a chance at a life of dignity and health.

Operation Smile at Berkeley directs a volunteer program in which high school students around the world create blankets for children undergoing cleft lip and palate surgery around the world, or cards of emotional support for the medical professionals leading the surgical trips. Through this program model, we educate youth in both our, and the global, community to break the stigma of cleft lip and palate, cultivating within them a commitment towards advocacy and a passion for the healthcare field. Our program springs from a spirit of equity. We raise funds to buy fleece so our volunteers can make blankets and earn service hours from Operation Smile – without the barrier of cost. Also, to foster our club members’ professional development, we present the opportunity to represent UC Berkeley with Operation Smile’s International Student Leadership Conference, the first step in gaining clearance to serving on Operation Smile’s international surgical trips. With the support of Crowdfunding, we will be able to ease more children through their surgeries, bolster our club members’ professional healthcare experiences, and unify our community’s youth to contribute towards a global healthcare movement.

Our project is a testament to the necessity for programs centering healthcare equity. Our community’s youth will be able to contribute towards a tangible change within the lives of Operation Smile’s infant and toddler patients. With Operation Smile’s commitment to the highest quality of care for some of the most marginalized communities in the world, we are actively teaching the youth in our community that their passion for healthcare will include pillars of compassion, equity, education, and advocacy – regardless of anyone’s background, circumstance, or health issue.

100% of our funds will go to buying fleece to make blankets or transportation funds to transport our club members to high schools for our program's educational presentations. We bulk purchase our fleece from Amazon at about $10 a blanket. Only $10 can contribute heartwarming support for a child undergoing this necessary treatment! We are very grateful for any contributions given to us, as the more funds donated will result in more blankets being made. Therefore, surpassing our goal is planned for and is greatly appreciated by our parent organization which receives the blankets for distribution. If we do not meet our goal, we will still produce our blankets, but at a smaller capacity. 

Want to get involved further or have any questions? Contact our project managers:

Nysa Sarkari: nysas@berkeley.edu

Riya Arora: riya.arora2510@berkeley.edu

Jennifer Boulad: jenniferboulad@berkeley.edu

Thank you for helping the world smile!

All images by Operation Smile.