Dear Friends:

It is Thursday April 19, 2007 and it seemed as if the gods created a very special day as a sign of fortune for the dedication of the first Alliance for Smiles Cleft Lip and Palate Treatment Center in Jiujiang, China. It was warm and balmy, a sharp contrast to the pounding rain and cold of two days before.

For two and one half years, those of us at Alliance for Smiles looked forward to realizing a dream that began with five Rotarians from the San Francisco Club, trying to find a way to create a better and more effective model for treatment of cleft lip and palate children living in China.

The journey began with the concept that providing free surgery was the first step, but only the first step in treating the cleft condition. And this surgery had to be done in a timely manner. It continued with the approval and volunteerism of Dr. Karin Vargervik of the UCSF, Director of the Cleft Lip and Palate Center at this prestigious medical center. One by one the pieces fell into place as we built a relationship with key personnel at the Jiujiang University Hospital and finally last fall enrolled Dr. Huang Xiaolin into a four month course of study at UCSF where he learned the team approach to treatment of the cleft condition. His study was subsidized by board member, James Deitz, who likewise believed in creating a better program.

At the end of his course of study, AfS set benchmarks to be achieved by the Jiujiang Hospital so that they could receive accreditation, and these were accomplished in a remarkably short time. Local staff was assigned jobs - Director, Plastic Surgeon, Record Keeper, Dentist, Orthodontist, Speech Pathologist, and Pediatrician. Space was allocated for treatment. Forty patients were enrolled for treatment.

The long journey culminated this morning. As the majority of the well oiled medical team remained at the hospital so that no child scheduled for surgery would be left behind, the leadership attended the dedication.

We sat in honored seats on the steps of the hospital. A full bank of hospital staff and onlookers along with reporters and cameras focused on the group. High up, over the door of the hospital, two plaques were covered in festive red silk. Of course, there were the mandatory speeches from the hospital Director, the Mayor, representatives of other supporting agencies and from Alliance for Smiles.

John Uth formally thanked all of our Chinese parties. I had the honor to speak to the fact that although the concept began with five people and a dream two and a half years ago, literally thousands of people, mainly Rotarians, from across the United States and in Hong Kong have bought into that dream and supported it with donations, volunteer time, and a belief in the work. We were only the representatives of these people and honored to be in this position.

From the bottom of my heart, I thanked John Uth, Chairman of the Board for the countless hours he has put into this organization, and Dr. Colin Wong, Vice President International who through emails and phone calls at all hours of the day dealt with the logistics. I also thanked Sue Smallwood, whose Rotary District, in conjunction with the adjoining one, funded the medical mission that was taking place while we spoke. Renowned speech pathologist, Dr. Sally Peterson-Falzone was likewise commended for her willingness to lend her skills to a growing project. Final accolades went to Dr. Karin Vargervik because of her buy-in to the concept of developing a cleft center and her hard work to give the stature needed through UCSF's program. A great deal of thanks goes her way for giving validation to this dream of AfS. I also emphasized that we were honored to be entrusted with the treatment of these children and leading the way for the future treatment of cleft children in China.

The ceremony culminated with the unveiling of two plaques - one dedicating the Center with the words "Jiujiang University Hospital Cleft Lip and Palate Treatment Center, sponsored by Alliance for Smiles, Inc. USA, in collaboration with University of California, San Francisco, USA, Established April 20, 2007." The other indicated the support of the Chicago Rotary Clubs for the Center: "Rotary Districts 6440 and 6450 support the Jiujiang University Hospital Cleft Lip and Palate Center, established April 20, 2007." As patients pass under the portal, they are there for everyone to see, written both in English and Chinese.

Alliance for Smiles realizes that this is the beginning of another journey, that the challenges faced in our traveling our first road will be replaced by a new journey and new challenges. We will need to support the Center in order to ensure success. We have donated equipment to give them a start and will continue to provide them both with medical expertise and funding per treatment so that no child will have to pay. We will work to aid them in their research and empower them so that they can be leaders in their local area and a model for future centers throughout China. We will hold them accountable through a reporting and review system.

The dedication ended with streamers and confetti and an overwhelming feeling of camaraderie. With every person that buys into this dream, we become more powerful and successful and the dream shapes its reality.

On the way back into the hospital, we met a family with a baby that had received cleft lip surgery the day before. He was tiny, and the parents were so very proud. Tears came to the mother's eyes as she showed her baby to us. Why do we do what we do? That child will have a chance now to receive complete care of the cleft, and through other services grow up a well developed and almost perfect adult. This baby will have a chance to love and be loved, to be accepted by society and have a future. This is our reward.