“It is so important to help people out who can’t help themselves.”
-Elijah Medge
Operation Smile
A non-profit medical service organization, Operation Smile facilitates cleft lift and palate repair surgeries for children in need. They organize international volunteer missions to provide surgeries and medical care in developing countries, organize training programs for physicians, and support medical research to eradicate the birth defects.
Children who are born with facial deformities suffer from difficulties eating and drinking; as well as hearing loss, ear infections, speech and language delay, and dental problems–and this doesn’t begin to cover the social implications of being a young child who looks and sounds different from his or her peers. You can help the cause by visiting the Operation Smile donation page.
Operation Smile is an organization that has been an important organization to Elijah Medge since opening his first business in 2007. His company hosts philanthropy events throughout the year.
Day of Smiles, June 2015
On our annual event, Day of Smiles, Elijah Medge and his employees raised money for Operation Smile on the Los Angeles beaches. They split up into 4 teams and visited Huntington Beach, Long Beach, Hermosa Beach and Venice Beach. Each team informed beach-goers about the cause and collected donations. Elijah Medge’s dog, Perry, wore an Operation Smile brochure and generated traffic because of all of the people who wanted to pet her. The event successfully raised enough money to pay for the life-changing surgeries of 4 children.
Casino Night, April 2015
Elijah Medge and his team attended Great Gatsby themed casino night in Denver, CO. Over 150 were in attendance from all over the Midwest. The venue lost power about an hour into the night, yet everyone continued to gamble and make donations. This enjoyable evening successfully raised enough money for 10 children to have cleft pallet surgeries.
Day of Smiles, August 2014
Elijah Medge’s company gathered in Nashville, TN to raise money at the pre-season Tennessee Titans game against the Packers. The group spoke with dozens of people during the tail-gait, creating awareness for the cause and collecting donations. The afternoon’s efforts successfully raised enough money to fund surgeries of 10 children.
American Diabetes Association
The American Diabetes Association is a non-profit organization that funds research to prevent, manage, and cure diabetes. They provide services to hundreds of communities across the United States, provide information about the disease to patients and doctors, and also advocate for those who are denied their rights because of Diabetes. This is a cause that is near and dear to Elijah Medge’s heart, as close family members have been diagnosed with the disease. With almost 30 million people also suffering from Diabetes, he hopes to contribute to finding a cure. See more photos from these annual events in the gallery.
Project C.U.R.E.
Project C.U.R.E. is the largest provider of donated medical supplies and equipment to developing countries around the world. The non-profit organization collects new, surplus and overstock medical supplies, sorts the items, and ships them to almost 100 countries including North Korea, Cuba, China, Russia, Vietnam, numerous countries in Africa and South America, and nearly every nation in Central Asia.
Elijah Medge and his staff joined up with Project C.U.R.E. to assist with a growing need. The team gathered in a large warehouse to help pack medical supplies to be sent across the world. It was an eye-opening experience to see just how vast the need is for supplies; it really put into perspective just how lucky we are to live without this worry.
Toys for Tots
Run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve, Toys for Tots is a non-profit organization that gives toys to children whose families can’t afford gifts for Christmas. The company collects new, unwrapped toys during the last 3 months of each year, and distributes them to less fortunate children in the community in time for the holiday.
Every holiday season, Elijah Medge and his staff throw a huge holiday party. The entrance fee is an unwrapped toy. At the end of each event, the team is able to made a donation of over 200 presents.
Highly Effective Leadership: Are You a Leader of Cats or Dogs?
By Elijah Medge, Los Angeles, December 2015 Cats and dogs I've had pets all my life. The first was a guinea pig. It had minimal personality, as you might expect of a rodent, but it was all the responsibility I could handle as a young child....