Timber Creek High School has a wide variety of clubs to join especially when you are interested in helping others. If you are looking for a new amazing Timber Creek Club to join, Operation Smile is the place for you. Operation Smile is an organization that pays for doctors to travel to 3rd world countries to operate on children with clefts for free. These operations boost the self-esteem of children by repairing their facial deformities. A cleft is a split in the upper lip or roof of the mouth. This occurs in unborn babies when developing facial structures don’t close completely.
This club is run by junior Isabelle Kettler. Creating this club was very important to her because it hits close to home. “I created this club because I myself have a cleft and the surgeries I’ve been lucky enough to have aren’t always available for every child around the world,” she said. Creating this club allows her and other Timber Creek students to give other children this opportunity and to spread awareness about what a cleft is and other deformities similar to clefts. Being able to share her own personal experience with the members of the club is another part of what makes this club special.
The sponsor for Operation Smile is English teacher Ms. Kettler, Isabelle’s mother. Isabelle says that she enjoys working with her mom because “it’s so much fun working with her and she gives me endless support with this club.”
Setting Goals for Smiles! Junior Isabelle Kettler has many goals for the club she has started. “The goals of the club for this year include making gift baskets for the children coming out of the hospital and raising money to give directly to the Operation Smile organization.” Making gift baskets allows children to personally be touched by this Timber Creek club while the money raised for the organization will be able to help children on a larger scale. Kettler is featured above in the bright yellow Operation Smile shirt which represents the happiness this club aims to share.