More than 2,500 Elementary Students Running Their “Final Mile” on Saturday, March 21 at the Shamrock Sportsfest

More than 2,500 elementary school students from 167 schools in Virginia and the U.S. are participating in the Operation Smile Final Mile to get fit and raise money for Operation Smile, a worldwide children’s medical charity.  The Operation Smile Final Mile is part of The Shamrock Sportsfest, held March 21 & 22 in Virginia Beach, Va.  The Operation Smile Final Mile is designed to teach children the importance of exercise, commitment, and helping children born with facial deformities. 

WHO:
More than 2,500 students ages 6-12 participating in the Operation Smile Final Mile have been running for months to complete 25.2 miles.  They will run their “final mile” at the oceanfront for a total of 26.2 miles, the equivalent of a marathon.  More than 80 elementary schools in Hampton Roads are participating in the Operation Smile Final Mile program and many are collecting pledges for Operation Smile to help children born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities. 

WHEN:
Saturday, March 21 at 10:30am

WHERE:
Start – 31st St. & Atlantic Ave.
Finish – 31st St. on the Boardwalk in front of Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront Virginia Beach, Virginia

Runners include:

Eight-year-old Tony Blackman Jr. from Virginia Beach was born with a cleft lip and cleft palate.  Tony loves to run and logs his miles during PE class at Salem Elementary.  This is Tony’s first year running in the Operation Smile Final Mile and he is excited to run and raise money to help other children born with facial deformities.  Tony has undergone numerous surgeries throughout his life and hopes he can provide a new smile to another child who is hoping for the chance at a normal life.

Danielle Wuertz from Chesapeake was born in China with a cleft lip and cleft palate.  The Wuertz family adopted Danielle from an orphanage in Jilin, China, when the little girl was 3 ½ years old.  Now, Danielle is 8 years old and lives in Chesapeake with her parents and three brothers.  Danielle has undergone numerous surgeries at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters to repair her cleft lip and cleft palate.  She is not an Operation Smile patient, but her surgeon is Dr. Richard Rosenblum, an Operation Smile medical volunteer.

Patient from Nicaragua: 
Operation Smile will provide Walter Chavarria, 17, from Siuna, Nicaragua, with surgery on March 23.  Walter was born with a cleft lip and cleft palate.  In February 2009, Walter traveled to the Operation Smile medical mission taking place in Managua, Nicaragua. But because the hospital is a children’s hospital and does not allow anyone older than 16 to receive treatment, the Operation Smile medical team could not operate on Walter.

On March 23, Operation Smile volunteer Dr. Richard Rosenblum and Operation Smile Co-founder and CEO Dr. Bill Magee will donate their services and perform the surgeries to repair Walter’s cleft lip and cleft palate.  He joins more than 200 other patients treated through Operation Smile’s World Care Program.  Walter arrives in Hampton Roads on March 18 and will stay approximately two weeks.  The O’Brien family of Virginia Beach will host Walter during his stay.  Kevin and Nancy O’Brien have three sons and the family is looking forward to this experience. 

The timing of Walter’s trip to Hampton Roads coincides with the Operation Smile Final Mile. On March 21 at 11:15am, Walter will be brought on stage and introduced to the runners after they’ve completed their race.  This will be an opportunity for these young students to see the impact they have made to change the life of a child living with a facial deformity.

About Operation Smile (www.operationsmile.org)
Our Mission: Operation Smile mobilizes a world of generous hearts to heal children’s smiles and transform lives across the globe.  Founded in 1982, 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 volunteers have treated more than 130,000 children born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities and the organization has a presence in 51 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.