Operation Smile - Celebrating 40 Years of Smiles
For 40 years, Operation Smile has provided transformative cleft lip surgery and care to hundreds of thousands of patients across the globe. What started as a simple vision for founders Dr. Bill and Kathy Magee has grown into one of the largest surgical volunteer-based organizations, helping patients breathe, eat, speak, and enjoy lives of greater quality and confidence.
Meagan Parker and Chelsea Copan, both private bankers with TowneBank, join with their spouses Chad and Tyler to celebrate 40 years of smiles at the Operation Smile gala.To celebrate its 40-year milestone, Operation Smile staged a historic bike ride across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT). The ride was the first of its kind and included 40 cyclists who started on the Eastern Shore side of the bridge. Once across the CBBT, a larger team of cyclists joined the ride and the group continued their journey, ultimately ending at the Operation Smile headquarters in Virginia Beach. The ride was part of Operation Smile’s global anniversary project, Cycle for Smiles, a charitable campaign that allowed individuals from around the world to set fitness and fundraising goals in support of Operation Smile’s 40th Anniversary.
Kelly Peck, an avid cyclist and executive vice president and commercial lender for TowneBank based in Newport News, participated in the unprecedented ride that marked the first-ever charity crossing of the CBBT. “What an amazing day! It was fantastic in every way,” says Kelly. “The opportunity to be part of this historic ride while supporting a much-loved, locally based organization was incredible.”
As a longtime partner of Operation Smile, TowneBank most recently provided support for the Anthony L. & Hideko S. Burgess Interactive Learning Center (ILC) located in Virginia Beach. The ILC takes visitors through the journey of an Operation Smile patient, simulating their home and day-to-day life, as well as their road to surgery and recovery. The eye-opening experience transforms hearts and minds, helping visitors understand the global nature of the organization’s work and providing opportunities for career exploration. Over 2,600 people visited the ILC in its first year, many through field trips and community tours. Relationship banker Chelsea Copan was one of those visitors, joining a class of schoolchildren on a field trip last year.
Congratulations on an amazing and impactful 40 years, Operation Smile! To learn more visit OperationSmile.com.
Kelly Peck, executive vice president and commercial banker, participated in Operation Smile’s historic ride across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.