The Sharing Smiles Story
It all started with a plane ticket...
With a decision to take a semester off from school and travel doing volunteer work. I've had the opportunity to visit Peru twice through a volunteer and travel program. My volunteer work brought me to a local home for mentally and physically disabled children and adults where I would work by assisting in physical therapy sessions. In my time working with the children, one thing that there was a very apparent lack of was the proper therapy equipment. The kind of equipment that the home truly needed to improve the lives and health of those there.
I saw how all of the children there had their own individual disabilities that hindered them form being able to do simple tasks that we take for granted such as bathing themselves, dressing themselves, thinking for themselves, and even feeding themselves. The majority of the children are unable to walk and some even unable to speak. They were very dependent on the care and help they received from the staff. This makes it very difficult for all the children to get the attention they need with only one physical therapist on staff, Chris Karol. And the only help she ever receives is from volunteers that come through a program such as the one I did.
Through my time working with all of the children and Chris, I saw how much help they truly needed. I saw how Chris was able to make the best with what she had and even make some braces herself. I saw how the little equipment they did have helped the kids and I could only imagine what the right equipment would do for them. The kind of difference that it would make in their lives and their quality of life.
My experience gave me a new perspective on life and on the things that we take for granted each and every day. The simple things that we don't even think about that these kids only dream of. And even though my time was up with them, it didn't mean that my help had to stop. I shared my story with others and they wanted to help too. And I knew that I could make a big impact in the lives of those children.
Sharing smiles is about giving the opportunity to live a better life to children that have never been able to live fully. It's about giving an opportunity to live a happier life to children who have always been restricted and held back. The things that we take for granted are the things that mean the world to them. It's about changing lives.
Sharing smiles is about giving the type of smile that lasts a lifetime.