News / Education
Registration Deadline is Extended to June 22 for Operation Smile’s 2010 International Student Leadership Conference in Denver
Learning from celebrity performers and speakers, more than 400 students from around the world will convene to be a force for change in their community and the world
Operation Smile is extending the deadline to June 22 for its 18th annual International Student Leadership Conference (ISLC), where more than 400 high school and college students from around the world will gather from August 1-5 at the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado. The conference – themed Be the Change! – is designed to empower students to make a difference and change lives in their community and around the world.
ISLC participants hail from more than 20 different countries including the United States, Canada, South Africa, Ethiopia, Vietnam, India, Kenya, Egypt, Ireland, Jordan, Morocco, Cambodia and Bolivia. Guest speakers include celebrities as well as inspirational speakers from around the globe. The ISLC is hosted by Operation Smile, a worldwide children’s medical charity that provides free surgery for children in developing countries who were born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities. Participants can register at www.operationsmile.org under Events.
The goal of ISLC is to educate students on the value of service within their communities and help them establish a lifetime of giving to others. Students will participate in team building activities, compete in field games and complete a service project for future Operation Smile patients. Keynote performers and speakers include:
- Caitlin Moe: Fresh off the 2009/2010 West Coast tour with multi-platinum selling rock band Trans-Siberian Orchestra, 22‐year‐old violinist Caitlin Moe will showcase her dynamic melodies as a feature performer. Performing alongside DJ Mia Moretti, Moe has electrified audiences across the country, including New York City, Miami, and Chicago, and the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. With her signature electric blue violin, she introduces her audience to a mix of strings and club hits, adding a new twist to tracks by popular artists such as Lady GaGa, MGMT, Kings of Leon and La Roux. Moe has become a fixture at trendsetter celebrity events such as Perez Hilton’s CocoPerez.com launch party, the Lollapalooza “Rock the Vote” official after‐party, and Diesel’s fall launch event at Saks 5th Avenue.
- Dan Clark: An internationally-recognized professional speaker, The New York Times best-selling author, and songwriter/recording artist, Dan Clark is the author of 20 best-selling books including “Common Ground” and is a primary contributing author to the “Chicken Soup For The Soul” series. In 2005, Dan was inducted into the National Speakers Hall Of Fame – to date, he has spoken to more than 4 million people in all 50 states and 40 countries for clients that include Microsoft, Boeing, State Farm, Harley Davidson, Marriott Hotels and many more. He has appeared on over 500 television and radio programs including The Oprah Winfrey Show and served as the keynote speaker at the United Nations World Congress in Hamburg, Germany. He served on the U.S. Olympic Committee and carried the Olympic Torch in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Dan overcame a cancerous throat abscess at age 8; acted in a weekly television series and was the voice of a cartoon character at age 12; was a Golden Gloves boxing champion at age 17; was a Moto-x racing champ, alpine ski racing champ, All-State baseball pitcher and Sunkist All-American football player at age 18; and projected as a National Football League #1 draft choice at age 22.
- Robert Pruitt: A motivational speaker and leadership consultant who coaches youth and adults to step outside their comfort zones and take ownership of the leadership power in their lives, thereby making a greater contribution to the world. Robert Pruitt has authored several books and frequently appears on TV and radio programs across the country.
- Dick Grace: This Napa Valley vintner is famous not only for his prized wine, but for the unusual way he uses it to do good around the world. Grace was a former San Francisco stockbroker, before he and his wife Ann spontaneously purchased an old Victorian in the Napa Valley and planted a small vineyard. The wine serves a purpose – to uplift the children of the world. The Grace Family Foundation auctions off bottles of wine at charity events for up to $100,000. Combined with contributions from supporters, the Foundation has raised at least $25 million, which has been used to renovate an orphanage and create a food program in China; offer tsunami relief in India; build a medical clinic in Nepal; and fund U.S. projects. The 70-year-old Buddhist also gives of himself, spending months in rural villages.
- Dr. Bill and Kathy Magee: In 1982, Dr. William P. Magee Jr., a plastic surgeon, and his wife, Kathleen S. Magee, a registered nurse, participated in an event that would forever change their lives - and the lives of thousands of children around the world. The Magees traveled to the Philippines with a group of medical volunteers to repair children's cleft lips and cleft palates. They discovered hundreds of children ravaged by life-threatening facial deformities, and although many children were helped, the group was forced to turn away the majority of those who sought help. In Naga City, approximately 300 families arrived hoping their children would receive surgery, but the team could only treat 40 children. As they prepared to leave the Philippines, the Magees made a promise they would return to help more children. The Magees saw the need and Operation Smile was born. Today, Operation Smile is an international medical charity with a presence in more than 50 countries that provides safe, effective reconstructive surgery for children and young adults born with cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities.
Thousands of students in more than 600 schools around the world are involved in Operation Smile’s Student Programs, raising an estimated $1 million annually for Operation Smile. Through service and leadership, Operation Smile students make a difference in the lives of children worldwide and learn the importance of volunteerism. Since the program began, hundreds of students have participated on medical missions to countries such as the Philippines, Kenya, Cambodia, Brazil, Jordan, China and many other countries in the developing world. The student conference is the educational component of Operation Smile’s Student Programs, providing training and volunteer opportunities for students in education, global awareness, and fundraising.
About Operation Smile (http://www.operationsmile.org)
Founded in 1982 by Dr. Bill and Kathy Magee, Operation Smile, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, is a worldwide children’s medical charity whose network of global volunteers are dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children and young adults. Since its founding, Operation Smile has treated more than 145,000 children born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities and the organization has a presence in more than 50 countries. In addition to contributing free medical treatment, Operation Smile trains local medical professionals in its partner countries and leaves behind crucial equipment to lay the groundwork for long-term self-sufficiency.
