“Your face is your business card,” I always say. When we meet these children, their calling card is incomplete. That is why we are here.

I have made the 12-hour drive from Auburn, California for 28 years, first invited by a Rotarian friend and instantly hooked. I love this work. Over the years, I have become a general coordinator and problem solver at the clinic, doing whatever needs doing to help each child move one step closer to a full smile.

The facility has grown so much, but there is still more we can do. We need new hospital gowns, pillows, and sheets that wash easily and stay clean. A comfortable waiting area would mean parents no longer wait outside while their child is in surgery. A gurney would change everything.

If you have ever wondered how you can help, this is it. Your time or your donation can give a child a better calling card.

“My heart is in this.” I have been coming to Thousand Smiles Foundation since 1983, and I still feel the same pull every time I arrive. The mothers never stop thanking me, year after year. What stays with me most is seeing the children as they grow up, their clefts completely corrected, their confidence transformed.

The care we provide is top notch, but there is always more that would help us do even better. Simple things make a big difference, like small X-ray plates, digital sensors, and additional autoclaves for sterilization.

My wife, Maria, comes with me and helps keep everything running smoothly. This work is a family commitment for us. If you are looking for a place where your skills or support truly matter, this is it.

Natalia and Amanda, post-op nurses from San Diego, say that “serving the community is a big part of nursing, and this is where we can accomplish that part of our mission as nurses.” They describe the work as “so much fun,” especially because they return year after year to work with the same volunteers, all united by a single purpose: serving a population that might not otherwise receive care.

Rebecca, another post-op nurse, notes that many patients make enormous sacrifices just to get to the clinic. Some families travel eight hours by bus, often without a place to stay, simply for the chance at treatment.

The work is different from their hospital jobs in San Diego. They miss having basics like “juice, applesauce, and Pedialyte” when children come out of surgery, as well as better monitoring equipment and “a freezer for popsicles” to soothe sore throats. Still, they adapt. What matters most, they agree, is seeing “the transformation,” and the happy faces of children and families when they wake up from surgery.