Working with Operation Smile is a completely life-altering

In the chronicles of service, where compassion meets action and the heart finds purpose in the healing of others, the voice of Lydia Hearst shines with sincerity: “Working with Operation Smile is a completely life-altering experience. It is truly inspiring to be a part of something with so many unique individuals who come together for the greater good of helping others.” Her words are more than testimony; they are a hymn of gratitude for the power of unity, sacrifice, and love when directed toward the lifting of human suffering.

For to call an experience life-altering is to admit that it transforms not only the lives of those helped, but of those who give. In serving, the giver is remade. In healing, the healer is healed. Hearst reminds us that to stand with Operation Smile, which restores the faces and dignity of children born with cleft lips and palates, is not simply charity—it is participation in a miracle. It is to see despair turned into laughter, shame turned into confidence, sorrow turned into joy. Such transformations leave no soul unchanged.

The ancients also knew this law of transformation through service. Consider the story of Florence Nightingale, who in the grim camps of the Crimean War cared for the wounded. She entered as a nurse but left as a legend, for in healing others, she too was transfigured—finding her true calling, discovering strength she had not known, and shaping the future of medicine itself. Hearst’s words echo this ancient truth: when we gather to heal others, we discover our own deeper humanity.

In her praise of unique individuals coming together, there is also wisdom about unity in diversity. Each volunteer—doctor, nurse, organizer, supporter—brings their own gift. Alone, their talents might serve only a few. Together, they become a force capable of moving mountains. This is the secret of the greater good: that when individuals lay aside self and unite their strengths, they become more than the sum of their parts. The child who smiles again is proof of the power of collective love.

We see this echoed in history’s great endeavors. When the Allies came together in World War II, they were nations of differing languages, cultures, and ideals. Yet in unity, they overcame tyranny. Their strength was not in sameness, but in shared purpose. So too with Operation Smile: many hands, many minds, many hearts, joined not for glory, but for the redemption of others. This is the eternal pattern of greatness.

Hearst’s words are also a call to humility. To be inspired by others is to admit that one stands among giants, that one is part of something greater than oneself. Too often, men seek glory in isolation, forgetting that true greatness is communal. She teaches us to rejoice not in what I can do, but in what we can do together, when united by compassion and service.

So let these words be passed down as wisdom: “It is truly inspiring to be a part of something… for the greater good of helping others.” Seek not only your own advancement, but join with others in causes that heal, uplift, and redeem. In service, you will discover purpose. In unity, you will discover power. And in the smile of a child restored, you will discover the reflection of your own soul, shining brighter than before.