The neon lights blazed through the fog and the buzz of excitement filled the air as 800 fans clamored for the perfect view. The crowd screamed as the band took the stage in the packed venue. The first chord from the guitarist cut through the night, sending the room into a frenzy.
This wasn’t a rock concert at a high profile arena, but a completely student run battle of the bands called Rock the Smile, benefiting Operation Smile.
After attending ISLC 2012 at Georgetown University, a number of students that attended from the Hampton Roads area came together and decided to organize a fundraiser, but it had to speak to their demographic. It had to bring students together for a great cause and hold their attention.
Three students from Norfolk Collegiate School were up to the challenge; Elise Wilson, Taylor Deford, and Sarah Baysal took the project upon themselves, and enlisted the help of 14 other high schools in the area – making the effort their senior project.
High School Junior, Evan Crawley was one of those students that took a leadership role. “I was given the task of procuring media sponsorship to help us get the word out about the concert and to help raise money.” Currently, the Vice President of his school’s Operation Smile Club, Evan will step into the role of President next year as a Senior. “Although I have been very busy this year with starting a medical club at my school, getting ready for crew, hanging with friends on the weekends, SATs, ACTs, looking at colleges, and photography, I make time for Operation Smile, either outside of school or during school, because it’s a great cause that changes lives.”
Evan got involved with Operation Smile after his cousin Jacob returned from a medical mission to India. Jacob shared his experience with Evan, who at the time was a freshman in High School. “It was a positive experience for Jacob and he highly encouraged me to get involved. I thought what a cool thing to do! I followed his advice – and it changed my life.” Evan attended an Operation Smile International Student Leadership Conference, a Winter Medical Mission Training Workshop, and has since applied and has been accepted to participate in his first medical mission, heading to Amman, Jordan in June as a student volunteer.
Evan oversaw many aspects of Rock the Smile, securing talent to participate in the battle of the bands, securing media coverage and interviews, corporate sponsorships, personally fundraising and promoting the event through social media. He also acted as the liaison between the event, the Emcee and the performers.
The fully student run event raised over $14,000, which equates to around 58 surgeries. “This was huge for us because not only was it just a group of teenagers putting this on for the public, it showed true leadership and hard work from kids who want to make a difference for the children who need surgeries. That fact put a smile on everyone’s face that night. This was a successful fundraiser and hopefully other teens will pick up on this and try something similar- it will change their lives as well.”
Thirty years ago, Dr. Bill and Kathy Magee founded Operation Smile because they believed everyone had the right to a future filled with promise and hope. In celebration, Operation Smile Student Programs will host its 22nd Annual International Student Leadership Conference (ISLC) in Norfolk, Virginia.
Join hundreds of high school and university students from around the globe at Old Dominion University from July 29 - August 2, 2013. This is your chance to join us as we take a journey home to where Operation Smile started and celebrate 30 years with the opening of our new global headquarters in Virginia Beach. Be a part of it all — help us Change Forever.
Registration will open on Saturday, November 10 at 12 p.m. EST. (Staff will be available to provide assistance from 12-2 p.m. EST). We encourage you to register early in case there are problems that need to be addressed! Once the participant slots are filled, we will go to a waitlist. Please note, incomplete forms will result in an incomplete registration.
The neon lights blazed through the fog and the buzz of excitement filled the air as 800 fans clamored for the perfect view. The crowd screamed as the band took the stage in the packed venue. The first chord from the guitarist cut through the night, sending the room into a frenzy.
Evan oversaw many aspects of Rock the Smile, securing talent to participate in the battle of the bands, securing media coverage and interviews, corporate sponsorships, personally fundraising and promoting the event through social media. He also acted as the liaison between the event, the Emcee and the performers.