Sault high school teacher and student recognized for Operation Smile fundraising will attend Miami conference in July

When St. Mary’s College French Immersion teacher Rita Trecroce and Grade 12 student Sammi Dechamplain led a team effort in October 2021 to raise funds at the high school for Operation Smile, they had no idea their successful campaign would lead to them being invited to an international Operation Smile conference in Miami this summer.

Operation Smile, an international organization, pays for surgery needed to fix cleft lips and palates in children in developing countries.

Each operation costs $240. 

Trecroce, guiding Dechamplain and 10 other SMC students with a goal to raise $2,640 - to pay for 11 surgeries - more than met their goal in last fall’s campaign.

Dechamplain poured her creative talents into emblazoning hoodies with the word ‘Smile’ in what she called a “groovy” 1970s lettering style.

Sales of the hoodies within and outside SMC helped the group raise $7,440.

That amounts to enough money for 31 cleft lip and palate surgeries.

The success that St. Mary’s College students have had raising funds for Operation Smile for the last 15 years - and the particularly successful effort of this year’s Smile hoodie campaign - caught the attention of Operation Smile Canada in Toronto and Operation Smile’s head office in Virginia.

Trecroce received word that she, along with up to three of her Operation Smile campaign students, were invited to attend the organization's annual International Student Leadership Conference to be held at the University of Miami from July 18 to 24.

The three would have been among only five students invited from across Canada.

Dechamplain jumped at the chance to go.

She will attend the Miami conference as a Student Team Lead.

Trecroce will be a guest speaker.

“We’re pretty pumped,” Dechamplain told SooToday.

“They want me to go and be a guest speaker at the conference that will amass all these different high school students from all over the world,” Trecroce said.

“I was very happy. I was so humbled by that. They want me to do a 30 minute presentation to all of the students at the conference sharing our success story here at SMC over the last 15 years, tips on how to run a successful campaign and inspire them to do good work, to help others, to push the limits.”

Dechamplain said she’s looking forward to the opportunity to do some of her own public speaking at the Miami conference. 

“It doesn't really bother me, honestly. Especially on the spot. I feel like if I have a script it’s weird but if people are asking me questions then I can answer them no problem. I’m excited.” 

“This year was just over the top. It was stellar,” Trecroce said of October’s Operation Smile fundraising at SMC.

“The students look forward to fundraising for Operation Smile every year. We do this campaign with my Grade 12 students but I already have my Grade 10 students interested.”

Trecroce and Dechamplain said it’s gratifying to see before and after photos of children in other lands that have received life changing cleft lip and palate surgeries through Operation Smile.

“When we were starting our campaign we watched before and after videos on YouTube. It tells us the kids’ stories, what they went through to get to that point after surgery and we all bawled our eyes out in class, then we showed it to the whole school. A lot of people were crying,” Dechamplain said.

“It’s emotional. It definitely pulls at your heart strings.”

“For me as a student it’s a pretty big deal to represent not only St. Mary’s but myself. I’ll be able to put that on my resume for jobs in the future. It’s pretty cool,” Dechamplain said.

She didn’t foresee her Smile hoodies would attract such attention.

“Not for a second.”

“Operation Smile sent us personalized certificates. They were very grateful and happy about it and it just kept getting better and better from there.”

“These hoodies have probably changed my entire life,” Dechamplain smiled.

“I’ve been reached out to a lot since then. I began a photography internship. I’ve been doing a lot of creative stuff, which is what I want to do. Without Operation Smile I would’ve had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.”

After graduation from SMC in June, Dechamplain will be studying in the University of Ottawa’s Department of Visual Arts in September.

“I’ll get to be artsy all the time,” she smiled.

“She’s always extending herself to help in any way. She was very integral to our success,” Trecroce said in praise of Dechamplain.

Earlier in her high school days, Dechamplain’s illustration of two books drew the attention of children’s book publisher Scholastic Canada.

“They reached out to me and published them for me. All the proceeds from those books went to building schools in developing countries, so that was pretty cool too. I have photos of kids holding those books. They wanted me to do another one, so I’ve done three of them now,” Dechamplain said.

“It’s a good thing to be able to say ‘I help people.'"

Trecroce's Miami trip and expenses are covered by Operation Smile.

Dechamplain pays her own way, though she is eligible to apply for a partial rebate.

The July conference will mark Trecroce's first trip to Florida, Dechamplain having visited Walt Disney World as a four-year-old.

There will be time for the two to do some sightseeing and shopping while in Miami.

“We’re being treated very well,” Trecroce said with a smile.