GSF volunteers Anne Cahill and Lucia Wesley with GSF President Dr. Usama Hamdan.
A Journey Full of Smiles, the November 4 celebration of Global Smile Foundation’s 15th anniversary, brought together friends, volunteers and supporters for a festive evening at the Hilton Boston/Dedham.
The evening program featured several guest speakers who shared their own insights from being involved in their own healthy smile ” journeys.”
GSF Advisory Board Member RG Conlee began the evening with a brief overview of milestones from the past 15 years. He described his own introduction to the Foundation and how it only took 5 minutes for GSF President, Usama Hamdan, to convince him to become involved.
Amy Mendillo shared her perspective as a parent of a child born with cleft and what she learned from others in writing her recently published book I’ve Just Seen A Face. She spoke about the emotional toll involved in managing a child’s cleft care and explained that she wrote her book to offer guidance to other parents. (www.amymendillo.com)
Anne Cahill offered her insight as a volunteer nurse who has been involved with GSF for five years. She said that her annual involvement in the GSF outreach program in Ecuador consistently represents a significant highlight of her year, invigorating her spirit with renewed energy and purpose.
Junior Ambassadors Michael and Nicole Nessralla spoke about the many ways that they have raised funds for GSF and generated awareness of cleft in their local community. They shared a powerful video showcasing heartwarming stories from patients and encouraged the audience to participate and offer their support.
Denise Mera, the President of Global Smile Foundation Ecuador, shared her insights about the importance of volunteers both in Ecuador and those who travel for outreach programs. She said, “Volunteers are at the heart of Global Smile Foundation.”