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Taking the Smile Train
by Outspoken on Thu Jul 03, 2008 4:16 am
Taking the Smile Train
Two local woman bicycle from Kittery to Calais to raise money provide surgery for people with cleft lips and plates.
By MELANIE CREAMER
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
Something clicked inside Liz Noonan.
After a more than a half-dozen surgeries and procedures to correct a cleft lip, the 24-year-old piano teacher took a long hard look in the mirror and realized she looked OK.
Noonan put away the money she had saved for a surgery that would have corrected a scar and embarked on a 330-mile bicycle ride to raise money for The Smile Train, a non-profit organization that funds cleft lip and palate surgeries for poor children in developing countries. Noonan biked from Kittery to Calais on June 16 though 21 to raise money and awareness for the organization.
"This was something that I had wanted to do for a while. After my consult, I realized there were thousands of kids that needed surgery. I felt it was selfish for me to do this and not help someone else," Noonan said.
Noonan did more than help. She and Becky McKinnon, a friend who made the trip with her, collected nearly $4,900 in donations and expect to surpass their $5,000 goal. She said the experience challenged her physically and emotionally and opened her eyes to how generous people are.
"It was amazing," Noonan said. "Kids donated their allowance. People gave me their entire economic stimulus checks."
Through the organization, American doctors perform the surgeries in poor countries. They also train local doctors and provide them with medical supplies to perform the surgery. According to The Smile Train Web site, the surgery costs $245 and lasts 45 minutes. Depending on the severity of the cleft, some kids may not be able to eat or talk normally. Noonan's donation will provide surgery to 20 kids, who would otherwise live with the physical challenges and emotional scars associated with the defect.
"It's fulfilling to know that this is giving other kids, who would not have the first surgery, a normal life. It's an amazing feeling," Noonan said.
McKinnin and Noonan have been friends for the past two years. McKinnin said she jumped at the opportunity to take the ride with her. The pair stopped in Cumberland, Rockland, Ellsworth, Machias and finished in Calais.
"It was a great experience. I was happy to support the cause," McKinnon said, noting she moved to Maine from the Midwest. "I thought it was a really neat way to see Maine, the small towns and rolling countryside. I have ever been Down East before. It was beautiful."
To make a donation, go to www.smiletrain.org.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=197201&ac=PHnws
Two local woman bicycle from Kittery to Calais to raise money provide surgery for people with cleft lips and plates.
By MELANIE CREAMER
Staff Writer Portland Press Herald
Something clicked inside Liz Noonan.
After a more than a half-dozen surgeries and procedures to correct a cleft lip, the 24-year-old piano teacher took a long hard look in the mirror and realized she looked OK.
Noonan put away the money she had saved for a surgery that would have corrected a scar and embarked on a 330-mile bicycle ride to raise money for The Smile Train, a non-profit organization that funds cleft lip and palate surgeries for poor children in developing countries. Noonan biked from Kittery to Calais on June 16 though 21 to raise money and awareness for the organization.
"This was something that I had wanted to do for a while. After my consult, I realized there were thousands of kids that needed surgery. I felt it was selfish for me to do this and not help someone else," Noonan said.
Noonan did more than help. She and Becky McKinnon, a friend who made the trip with her, collected nearly $4,900 in donations and expect to surpass their $5,000 goal. She said the experience challenged her physically and emotionally and opened her eyes to how generous people are.
"It was amazing," Noonan said. "Kids donated their allowance. People gave me their entire economic stimulus checks."
Through the organization, American doctors perform the surgeries in poor countries. They also train local doctors and provide them with medical supplies to perform the surgery. According to The Smile Train Web site, the surgery costs $245 and lasts 45 minutes. Depending on the severity of the cleft, some kids may not be able to eat or talk normally. Noonan's donation will provide surgery to 20 kids, who would otherwise live with the physical challenges and emotional scars associated with the defect.
"It's fulfilling to know that this is giving other kids, who would not have the first surgery, a normal life. It's an amazing feeling," Noonan said.
McKinnin and Noonan have been friends for the past two years. McKinnin said she jumped at the opportunity to take the ride with her. The pair stopped in Cumberland, Rockland, Ellsworth, Machias and finished in Calais.
"It was a great experience. I was happy to support the cause," McKinnon said, noting she moved to Maine from the Midwest. "I thought it was a really neat way to see Maine, the small towns and rolling countryside. I have ever been Down East before. It was beautiful."
To make a donation, go to www.smiletrain.org.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=197201&ac=PHnws
"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything."
Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
