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Los Angeles, CA (September 19, 2014)
– Operation Smile, the international children’s medical
charity, honored Ken Corday, Executive Producer of Days
of our Lives; Access Hollywood anchor, Billy Bush
and the Sharon D. Lund Foundation at its 2014 Smile Gala,
tonight, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills.
Kevin Beggs, Roma Downey and Mark Burnett and Jennifer and
Henry Salke co-chaired. The 2014 Smile Gala raised more
than $1 million to benefit Operation Smile.
Following a pre-dinner cocktail reception, guests were
ushered into the ballroom to the lively harmony of United
Voices, the UCLA Gospel Choir. Operation Smile Ambassador,
actress, author and TV personality and, for the second year,
the evening’s host, Brooke Burke-Charvet welcomed guests,
providing a moving overview of the mission of Operation
Smile noting that the organization “began with one simple,
basic premise: that every child in every country deserves
to face every day with a smile.”
Operation Smile founders, Dr. Bill and Kathy Magee were
introduced and thanked everyone for their support. “We
dream of a world where no child suffers from lack of access
to safe surgery,” said Kathy Magee. “That’s why we do
everything we do. We are looking to take care of more than
20,000 children this year.”
To present the John Connor Humanitarian Award, (named for a
Vietnam War vet and friend of the Magees who initiated
Operation Smile’s first mission to Vietnam,) to Ken Corday,
Executive Producer of Days of our Lives, was
the star of the long-running daytime drama, multi-award
winning actress, Deidre Hall. Hall herself is an Operation
Smile Ambassador who, in 2009, participated in a medical
mission to Brazil with her son, David Sohmer. In introducing
Corday, Hall compared the honoree to John Conner as both
“exceptional examples of compassion and generosity.”
In accepting his award, Corday singled out long-time
Operation Smile supporter and gala Chair Jennifer Salke,
along with Hall, for introducing him to the organization
which has since become a passion. “A smile is a doorway to
the soul and no child should have to face the world without
it.”
Operation Smile Ambassador and 2013 Universal Smile Award
honoree, actress Kate Walsh presented this year’s Universal
Smile Award to Access Hollywood anchor and fellow
Smile Ambassador Billy Bush, describing him as the
organization’s “big brother”…and his commitment to Operation
Smile, “absolute.”
In accepting his award, Bush said “We all have a
responsibility to give back. It has been an honor to be
involved in healing smiles for the past 12 years, and I will
be forever.”
The final award of the evening, The Founders Circle Award,
recognizes one family or organization that has set an
exemplary standard of dedication, compassion and
philanthropy to Operation Smile’s commitment to the children
of the world. Dr. Bill and Kathy Magee made the
presentation to Michelle Lund and Bob Wilson, representing
the Sharon D. Lund Foundation. Named for the late Sharon
Lund, daughter of Walt Disney, the foundation which she
began 41 years ago has supported countless charitable
projects, including a ten year alliance with Operation
Smile, donating more than $3.6 million to the organization.
The event also served to announce Operation Smile’s new
alliance with the students of Chapman University in Orange
County. In 2015, Chapman will play host to the
organization’s 25th International Student
Leadership Conference, offering students an overview of
Operation Smile’s work around the world. To date, thousands
of students in more than 900 schools internationally are
raising an estimated $1 million annually for Operation
Smile. The evening’s Gala Co-Chairs, President of NBC
Entertainment, Jennifer Salke and her son Henry announced
the project. Henry Salke, who was born with a cleft lip,
was the force behind the family first becoming engaged with
Operation Smile, a cause he has championed since the age of
nine.
The 450+ guests were treated to a performance by the
captivating Company Men before the evening’s headliner,
Judith Hill, took to the stage. Hill, who captured the
world’s heart in the Oscar winning documentary, 20 Feet
From Stardom and on The Voice, performed a trio
of uplifting numbers including You’ve Got a Friend.
A glittering addition to the festivities…the auctioning of
two exquisite diamond jewelry pieces from the Le Dragon d’Or
collection. The Universal Smile Award, Founders Circle
Award and the John Connor Humanitarian Award were all
donated by Lladró, the world renowned creator of the finest
in porcelain art.
For updates on Operation Smile’s global efforts, visit the
daily blogs on
www.operationsmile.org,
follow on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/operationsmile,
and on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/operationsmile.
About Operation Smile
Operation Smile, headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia,
is an international children’s medical charity with a
presence in more than 60 countries, whose network of more
than 5,400 medical volunteers from over 80 countries is
dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of
children. Since its founding in 1982, Operation Smile has
provided more than 220,000 free surgical procedures for
children and young adults born with cleft lip, cleft palate
and other facial deformities. To build long-term
self-sufficiency in resource poor environments, Operation
Smile trains doctors and local medical professionals in its
partner countries so they are empowered to treat their local
communities. Operation Smile also donates medical equipment,
supplies and provides year-round medical treatment through
its worldwide centers |