Update December 2025
Thanks to Joann Keefe, Debbie Hinkle, Sandy Mastrangelo, Peg Shirey including myself, we have almost completed our goal of 100 Operation Smile bags. We are doing the final touches with making these bags and will have them packed up ready to go for delivery to Jill McDonald for her Spring delivery to Operation Smile down in Virginia.
Also, just as a note as I had some members ask why we were not filling the bags. My request went out to the group at the same time we were heavily involved with our biggest fundraising event, the Basket Raffle, so I thought it was a big ask to send in donations and it was something different to make the bags from material and ribbon we all had sitting around our sewing rooms. I did check with Jill at the state level and she was thrilled we were making the bags. As she put it, we have plenty of clubs donating supplies for inside the bags but not many clubs that have the talent of sewing the bags so she was quite happy to hear we were planning on making 100 bags.
I honestly think we could have made more but for now this is an excellent opportunity to help the mission of Operation Smile. Who knows, maybe we will do this again sometime soon. Again, thank you one and all for the help in getting this project completed from start to finish.
Carol D.
Update November 2025
We are off to a great start with 30 Smile Bags already sewn, 40 cut out and ironed with some more sewing with what we have thus far being done this weekend. We are almost at our goal of 100 bags, which we want to complete by mid-January.
November is Health & Wellness Collection month. If you have any fabric or ribbon/cording, please get it to any of us, and thank you in advance!
Sewing Team: Carol D., Debbie H.,
Joann Kf., and Sandy M.
The Project
We are looking for some help in making smile bags for Operation Smile. Operation Smile is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free surgical care for children with cleft lip and cleft palette by improving their quality of life and access to healthcare. It is an affiliate organization of the GFWC.
Operation Smile now serves 30 countries and has well over 6,000 medical volunteers. They transform the lives of children by improving healthcare and outcomes.
Health and Wellness committee would like some additional help with sewing āSmile Bagsā. We will need some fabric, a few sewing machines and those that know how to use said machines.š Iām thinking we can get together as a group or small groups and knock this project out before the holidays.
Send Carol D. a text and let her know if you are interested. We will set up as a big group or smaller group, as needed.
Carolās goal is 100 Smile Bags. Whoās able to help us????
A dear friend heard I was helping to organize supplies for Operation Smile and immediately asked if I would be interested in a bunch of Beanie Babies. She was waiting for something special to relinquish these little treasures and entrusted me and my WD Womanās Club to find their way into those childrenās arms. She donated 213 practically new adorable stuffed animals.
āCarol D.