This week, The Harriton Banner spoke with the leaders of a new club called Operation Smile. The club raises money and awareness to provide life-saving surgery to children with cleft lips and cleft palates, a condition that makes speaking and feeding difficult. In order to make this surgery more accessible to those in impoverished countries, Lindsay Budin and Sarah Heppen brought Operation Smile to Harriton. Here’s what they had to say about their new club.

The Harriton Banner: What inspired you to start this club, and why?

Lindsay Budin: At my old school in Amsterdam I was a part of this club, and I thought it was a really great club. After talking to Sarah, we decided it would be a great club to bring to Harriton, so we knew we had to start it.

HB: Describe the club in three words to those who may be unfamiliar with it.

Sarah Heppen/LB: That’s tough. I think inspiring would be a good one but fundraising and motivating could also describe our club.

HB: What is your main role as creators and officers of the club?

LB: Our primary role is organizing club events, such as meetings and fundraisers. We want to focus on raising as much money as we can so fundraisers are a very large aspect of the club.

SH: It’s also important to keep our members very involved. We may have ideas, but we have an important role as leaders to collect ideas from others and implement them.

HB: How can those interested get involved?

SH: They can email us at [email protected] or [email protected]. We are always willing to accommodate and accept new members.

HB: What’s your ultimate goal in terms of fundraising?

SH: We have a goal on the website to raise six thousand dollars as a club. It would be optimal for each club member to raise two hundred forty dollars, which pays for one surgery. At the conclusion of the year, we would also like to have a large event to celebrate our club accomplishments.

HB: Do you have any prior experience in service clubs and participating in fundraisers?

LB: I’ve always been involved in community service, but this is my first time organizing and running a community service based club.

Thank you to Sarah and Lindsay for taking the time to sit down with us. If you are interested in joining the club, be sure to contact Sarah at [email protected] or Lindsay at [email protected].