Jackie Operation Smile New Photos

Jackie Chan, originally uploaded by kakastar.

Jackie wearing his award for "peace and friendship between nations”

Click on the photo to go to this stream for lots more photos and large size downloads of these images

Nice Photos

Here is a link to nice large size images of Jackie in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand....

DAYLIFE.COM

Jackie in Vietnam - Videos

History of Operation Smile:

Operation Smile Vietnam

It is worth taking a look at the Operation Smile website for the 20 Years of Smiles Celebration in Vietnam

You can see videos and pictures on the home page, read stories from the volunteers, and take a peek in the media room which has a number of documents to download if you want to read more about the various aspects of the work they do and you can even make a donation.

I had to share just one story from their field stories - read this if you ever doubt the power and effectiveness of love and compassion to change the world.

October 21, 2009

Celebrating 20 Years of Smiles


Dr. Bill Magee and John Connor organized the first mission to Vietnam in 1989.


At my 25th high school reunion in 1987, I reconnected with an old friend and classmate, John Connor. As we caught up on life and our work, I told John about Operation Smile, which over the period of five years had established medical missions in three continents, helping children whose smiles had been lost to congenital deformities, war or disease.

John, a Vietnam veteran, worked on Wall Street but was also active in veteran affairs and helping bring home POWs and MIAs. He expressed great interest in helping our cause.

That year, on Christmas Day, John called me to discuss a new development. Vietnam was interested in getting help for disabled children in their country.

John thought Operation Smile’s charity work could help create trust and open dialogue between two war-torn countries. For Kathy and I, this was an opportunity to bring healing to children, to two countries, and to test the powers of human kindness.

The next twelve months were very active. Negotiations continued between Washington and Vietnam over sending an Operation Smile team to Vietnam.

On August 8, 1988, we went to Hanoi and met with top medical officials, including Dr. Nguyen Huy Phan. In addition to balancing the skepticism and anxiety of local officials with the excitement of local doctors and patients, it quickly became obvious that there wasn’t a system to take care of the enormous number of Vietnamese children who needed surgery. But this didn’t stop us from trying.

Six months later, in February 1989, we brought 10,000 pounds of supplies and a team of 38 medical professionals, including seven Vietnam War veterans, and worked side-by-side with Dr. Phan and his team of Vietnamese surgeons to repair the cleft lips and cleft palates of 100 children. The week was not filled with hatred; it was all about coming together, restoring life and helping children.

At the time we were unaware of the impact we had in showing compassion, love and concern for those children. In caring for their children and building trust, we established a level of medical diplomacy without even realizing it, which in turn created tangible and dramatic results. MIAs were returned to the U.S. because of the relationship created with Operation Smile. We were able to bring together people from different cultures and backgrounds and focus not on what makes us different, but what makes us similar. Through the faces of the children we helped heal, we created a bridge between our cultures. Children are the only language that all of us have in common.

Following our first mission to Vietnam twenty years ago, Dr. Phan became one of Operation Smile’s most instrumental advocates, helping found Operation Smile Vietnam and build the infrastructure to provide year-round care for the children of Vietnam. Although Dr. Phan passed away in 1997, this historic mission in honor of our 20th anniversary celebrates our country’s friendship and camaraderie, as well as our common bond to help make sure that every child in Vietnam has a chance at a normal life.

The true measure of our long partnership is the children we help. Over 30,000 children in Vietnam now have new smiles. And it all began with one man reaching out to help heal a former enemy and his country. Unfortunately, my good friend John Connor passed away from non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Though he is not here to see the ongoing results of re-establishing relationships with Vietnam, he leaves a legacy of thousands of smiling faces.

Thank you for all your support and thank you to Operation Smile Vietnam for your dedication to helping heal children’s smiles. Our 20th Anniversary celebration and A Journey of Miracles is the beginning of a whole new era and Kathy and I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of it.

- Dr. Bill Magee

Quoted from Operation Smile Vietnam

Update on Trip to Vietnam

‘Rush Hour 2’ star heading to Vietnam

World-famous actor and martial arts expert Jackie Chan will arrive in Hanoi on November 4 to attend the 20th anniversary celebrations of Operation Smile, a global non-governmental charity organization.

The 55-year-old Hong Kong-born actor is a goodwill ambassador for the association which provides free surgery and medical treatment for children born with facial deformities.

Jackie Chan will spend three days visiting children ahead of their operations and will also attend a press conference.

Teaming up with Jackie Chan is the Operation Smile’s VN Ambassador Ly Nha Ky.

This is Jackie Chan’s second visit to Vietnam. In April 2005, the actor made his first trip to the country in support of UNICEF/UNAIDS in Hanoi.

Chan, whose real name is Chan Kong Sang, is also an action choreographer, filmmaker, comedian, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer.

He is also known around the world for his decades of charity work.

Jackie Chan established a charity foundation in his name in 1988 that awards scholarships to Hong Kong youth. Seventeen years later, he founded another charity fund called The Dragon’s Heart Foundation, which aims to help children and the elderly in remote areas of China.

SAIGON GP DAILY

Operation Smile Vietnam - 20 Years of Smiles

Operation Smile Celebrates 20th Anniversary in Vietnam with Historic Medical Mission

To mark 20 years of providing new smiles for children and young adults throughout Vietnam, Operation Smile, Inc. and Operation Smile Vietnam will launch “20 Years of Smiles – A Journey of Miracles” from November 4 – 14, 2009. In 1988, General John W. Vessey (Ret.) invited Operation Smile to send a medical education team to Vietnam as part of the MIA/POW initiatives. In a quest to help normalize U.S./Vietnam relations, Operation Smile sent a team of 38 medical volunteers to Hanoi in February 1989. The team included seven Vietnam War veterans and comprised the largest group of Americans to enter Vietnam since the War’s end in 1975. The team of American and Vietnamese surgeons worked together to repair the cleft lips and palates of 100 Vietnamese children. For the 20th Anniversary, 15 simultaneous missions from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City will be conducted providing cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries, dental treatment, as well as reconstructive surgeries for burns and facial anomalies to 3,000 children.

Norfolk, Va. (Vocus/PRWEB ) October 22, 2009 -- To mark 20 years of providing new smiles for children and young adults throughout Vietnam, Operation Smile, Inc. and Operation Smile Vietnam will launch “20 Years of Smiles – A Journey of Miracles” from November 4 – 14, 2009. To highlight the diversity of programs offered, 15 simultaneous missions from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City will be conducted providing cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries, dental treatment, as well as reconstructive surgeries for burns and facial anomalies.

20 Years of Smiles – A Journey of Miracles

The free programs will be conducted thanks to the generous donation of time and talent from more than 300 international medical volunteers from Vietnam, the U.S., the Philippines, the U.K., Canada, India, Norway, Hong Kong, China, Ireland, Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Italy and Cambodia. The teams will set up in 15 sites to provide free medical and dental screening for thousands of Vietnamese children suffering from cleft lips, cleft palates, dental problems and other facial deformities. Operation Smile hopes to change the lives of nearly 3,000 children and young adults during this 10-day period.


The 20th Anniversary commemoration will begin on November 4 with a Gala Dinner in Hanoi at the Intercontinental Hanoi Westlake with attendance by Smile Ambassador Jackie Chan, officials of the government of Vietnam, Operation Smile Vietnam sponsors and donors, and team members from around the world to mark the historic significance of the 20-year partnership. Other special guests will include: Operation Smile Vietnam’s Youth Ambassador Mai Phuong Thuy (Miss Vietnam 2006), and singers My Tam and Dam Vinh Hung.

On November 6, free medical and dental screenings will begin at 15 sites throughout Vietnam, followed by one week of surgical and dental treatments for selected patients. At the close of the week, approximately 3,000 Vietnamese children will celebrate their new smiles and “A Journey of Miracles” will conclude on November 14 in Ho Chi Minh City with a Smile Festival and Thank You Concert at Le Van Tan Park attended by key officials, sponsors and team members.

Operation Smile Vietnam Board Chairman Kenneth Atkinson commented about the significance of the 20th milestone, saying, “Operation Smile Vietnam has become a well-known organization with a reputation for credibility and building sustainability. We are grateful to our sponsors, our volunteers and our staff for their tireless work and continued commitment to making a difference. We look forward to the next 20 years of helping children smile throughout Vietnam.”

Headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.-based Operation Smile was launched 27 years ago by Dr. Bill Magee, a plastic surgeon, and his wife Kathy Magee, a former nurse and clinical social worker, to help children with devastating facial deformities. Today, Operation Smile has a presence in 50 countries in addition to Vietnam, where its history began in 1988 when General John W. Vessey (Ret.) invited Operation Smile to send a medical education team to Vietnam as part of the MIA/POW initiatives. In a quest to help normalize U.S./Vietnam relations, Operation Smile sent a team of 38 medical volunteers to Hanoi in February 1989. The team included seven Vietnam War veterans and comprised the largest group of Americans to enter Vietnam since the War’s end in 1975. The team of American and Vietnamese surgeons worked together to repair the cleft lips and palates of 100 Vietnamese children.

According to Dr. Magee, “When we first went into Vietnam in 1989 we did so because we believed that children are the only language we all have in common. Twenty years later, in Vietnam and in all of our partner countries around the world, we still believe that uniting people across cultures and borders for the sake of a child in need is what helps us heal the wounds of the past. We are proud of what we have accomplished together and extend our best wishes to our friends in Vietnam as they launch a new era of programs to care for more Vietnamese children every year.”

Planning for this historic program has been underway for more than a year and is made possible by generous donations from sponsors in Vietnam including: Mobifone, Unilever, HSBC, and Manulife, and in the U.S. by generous foundations, corporations and families. “20 Years of Smiles – A Journey of Miracles” is being supported by the Vietnamese government, the Ministry of Health, and the U.S. Embassy.

To follow this historical medical mission, with daily photos, videos, and blogs, visit www.operationsmile.org/vietnam.

About Operation Smile (www.operationsmile.org)
Our Mission: Operation Smile mobilizes a world of generous hearts to heal children’s smiles and transform lives across the globe. Founded in 1982, Operation Smile, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, is a worldwide children’s medical charity whose network of global volunteers are dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children and young adults. Since its founding, Operation Smile volunteers have treated more than 135,000 children born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities and the organization has a presence in over 50 countries. In addition to contributing free medical treatment, Operation Smile trains local medical professionals in its partner countries and leaves behind crucial equipment to lay the groundwork for long-term self-sufficiency.

Contact: Scott Vooss (757-321-7697)

PRWEB

OPERATION SMILE VIETNAM

Operation Smile Vietnam

Take that! Jackie Chan to return to Hanoi

VietNamNet Bridge – Martial arts movie star Jackie Chan will arrive in Hanoi on November 4 as an ambassador for Operation Smile on the organisation’s 20th anniversary in Vietnam.

He will stay for three days to visit cleft palate children at hospitals before their operations. He will be joined by Miss Vietnam 2008 Mai Phuong Thuy and actress Ly Nha Ky.

This will be Chan’s second visit to Vietnam. He appeared in Hanoi in April 2005 as a Goodwill Ambassador of the UNICEF/UNAID. On that occasion he visited Quang Ninh to meet HIV/AIDS patients and their carers.

The Hong Kong star is variously described as an action choreographer, filmmaker, comedian, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer.

Chan has been acting since the 1970s and has appeared in over 100 films. He has a star on the Hong Kong Avenue of Stars and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 2008, Chan sang at the 2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony.

VIET NAM NET

“20 Years of Smiles – A Journey of Miracles” Commemorates 20th Anniversary of Operation Smile Vietnam this November

15 Simultaneous Medical and Dental Missions to Provide Free Treatment For 3,000 children. Professional Medical Volunteers from 14 Countries will Join Vietnamese Medical Volunteers in Largest Free Program in 20-Year History

To mark 20 years of providing new smiles for children and young adults throughout Vietnam, Operation Smile, Inc. and Operation Smile Vietnam will launch “20 Years of Smiles – A Journey of Miracles” from November 4 – 14, 2009. To highlight the diversity of programs offered, 15 simultaneous missions from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City will be conducted providing cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries, dental treatment, as well as reconstructive surgeries for burns and facial anomalies.

The free programs will be conducted thanks to the generous donation of time and talent from more than 300 international medical volunteers from Vietnam, the U.S., the Philippines, the U.K., Canada, India, Norway, Hong Kong, China, Ireland, Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Italy and Cambodia. The teams will set up in 15 sites to provide free medical and dental screening for thousands of Vietnamese children suffering from cleft lips, cleft palates, dental problems and other facial deformities. Operation Smile hopes to change the lives of nearly 3,000 children and young adults during this 10-day period.

The 20th Anniversary commemoration will begin on November 4 with a Gala Dinner in Hanoi at the Intercontinental Hanoi Westlake with attendance by Smile Ambassador Jackie Chan, officials of the government of Vietnam, Operation Smile Vietnam sponsors and donors, and team members from around the world to mark the historic significance of the 20-year partnership. Other special guests will include: Operation Smile Vietnam’s Youth Ambassador Mai Phuong Thuy (Miss Vietnam 2006), and singers My Tam and Dam Vinh Hung.

On November 6, free medical and dental screenings will begin at 15 sites throughout Vietnam, followed by one week of surgical and dental treatments for selected patients. At the close of the week, approximately 3,000 Vietnamese children will celebrate their new smiles and “A Journey of Miracles” will conclude on November 14 in Ho Chi Minh City with a Smile Festival and Thank You Concert at Le Van Tan Park attended by key officials, sponsors and team members.

Operation Smile Vietnam Board Chairman Kenneth Atkinson commented about the significance of the 20th milestone, saying, “Operation Smile Vietnam has become a well-known organization with a reputation for credibility and building sustainability. We are grateful to our sponsors, our volunteers and our staff for their tireless work and continued commitment to making a difference. We look forward to the next 20 years of helping children smile throughout Vietnam.”

Headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.-based Operation Smile was launched 27 years ago by Dr. Bill Magee, a plastic surgeon, and his wife Kathy Magee, a former nurse and clinical social worker, to help children with devastating facial deformities. Today, Operation Smile has a presence in 50 countries in addition to Vietnam, where its history began in 1988 when General John W. Vessey (Ret.) invited Operation Smile to send a medical education team to Vietnam as part of the MIA/POW initiatives. In a quest to help normalize U.S./Vietnam relations, Operation Smile sent a team of 38 medical volunteers to Hanoi in February 1989. The team included seven Vietnam War veterans and comprised the largest group of Americans to enter Vietnam since the War’s end in 1975. The team of American and Vietnamese surgeons worked together to repair the cleft lips and palates of 100 Vietnamese children.

According to Dr. Magee, “When we first went into Vietnam in 1989 we did so because we believed that children are the only language we all have in common. Twenty years later, in Vietnam and in all of our partner countries around the world, we still believe that uniting people across cultures and borders for the sake of a child in need is what helps us heal the wounds of the past. We are proud of what we have accomplished together and extend our best wishes to our friends in Vietnam as they launch a new era of programs to care for more Vietnamese children every year.”

Planning for this historic program has been underway for more than a year and is made possible by generous donations from sponsors in Vietnam including: Mobifone, Unilever, HSBC, and Manulife, and in the U.S. by generous foundations, corporations and families. “20 Years of Smiles – A Journey of Miracles” is being supported by the Vietnamese government, the Ministry of Health, and the U.S. Embassy.

To follow this historical medical mission, with daily photos, videos, and blogs, visit www.operationsmile.org/vietnam.

About Operation Smile (www.operationsmile.org)
Our Mission: Operation Smile mobilizes a world of generous hearts to heal children’s smiles and transform lives across the globe. Founded in 1982, Operation Smile, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, is a worldwide children’s medical charity whose network of global volunteers are dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children and young adults. Since its founding, Operation Smile volunteers have treated more than 135,000 children born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities and the organization has a presence in over 50 countries. In addition to contributing free medical treatment, Operation Smile trains local medical professionals in its partner countries and leaves behind crucial equipment to lay the groundwork for long-term self-sufficiency.


svooss@operationsmile.org
www.operationsmile.org/

TRANSWORLD NEWS

Jackie, Vietnam and Operation Smile

So Jackie will be re-visiting Viet Nam in November with Operation Smile.

Celebrating 20 years of making children smile

"20 Years of Smiles - A Journey of Miracles” will be celebrated next month with free surgeries and treatment for 2,000 children with facial deformities across the country.


Commemorating the 20th anniversary of Operation Smile Vietnam, the event will bring bout 300 international medical volunteers from America and different countries around the world, the Regional Development Director of Operation Smile Asia Pacific, Nguyen Viet Phuong, told Thanh Nien Weekly.


These volunteers will work alongside hundreds of Vietnamese counterparts to deliver free life changing surgeries for 1,000 children and youth born with facial deformities and provide another 1,000 with burn, cranio facial and dental treatments in 15 mission sites across the country from November 7 to 13, Phuong said.

The budget for the whole special journey to Vietnam is expected to reach US$2 million, which is being raised both locally and internationally, said Phuong.

“It is our wish and dream to be able to treat every single child born with facial deformities, but unfortunately, we often see 2 out of 3 children coming to the mission site having to go home without surgery due to the lack of time, funding and related medical equipment”, said Phuong.

As part of the celebration, a special Gala dinner will be held in Hanoi on November 4, with the attendance of government officials, ministries, Vietnamese and international celebrities from the arts, sports and business communities.

A special performance on the evening will be provided by famous movie star Jackie Chan, who is an ambassador of the organization.

All proceeds from the dinner will be used to fund the surgeries and medical treatment, Phuong said.

A whole day of festivities culminating in a big “Thank You” concert will be held in Ho Chi Minh City on November 14 that more than 3,000 people are expected to attend.

The “20 Years of Smiles - A Journey of Miracles” event is being supported by the Vietnamese government, the Ministry of Health and the US Embassy.

Operation Smile Vietnam (OSV), the local branch of US-based Operation Smile Inc., has been able to provide free cleft lip and palate surgeries and medical services for more than 30,000 children and youth over the last 20 years, said Kenneth Atkinson, chairperson of OSV Board of Sponsors.

More information about the program can be obtained by contacting Operation Smile Vietnam at (84) (04) 3 936 5426, 3 920 7356, vnguyen@operationsmile.org or www.operationsmile.org.vn.

Reported by Van Khoa

THANHNIEN NEWS