Wrap-A-Smile

Katelyn Pierson, Scarborough Rotarian, RYLA Alumni, and RYLA Senior Staff Member for the past 10 years is currently in her second year of the dental program at the University of New England.    During a regular club meeting, Katelyn became interested in learning more about Wrap-a-Smile and the connection to Rotoplast. 

 

Upon researching Katelyn discovered that Wrap-A-Smile provides quilts to children in foreign countries undergoing cleft lip cleft palate surgery through another Rotary program called Rotoplast. As a future dentist, Katelyn states that “this touches my profession greatly and is helping me find the link to between my long connection to Rotary and my fellow dental students.”

 

Katelyn soon presented an idea to Scarborough Rotary to have her classmates join her in a quilt making event.  The Scarborough Rotary board approved a $500 budget to support the initiative.  Katelyn reported, “I hosted an event at UNE to see how many quilts we could make in a two-hour time frame.  What seemed like a very difficult task, my classmates took in stride as we made 20 quilts!  We had a blast.  I am thankful for my connection to Rotary and the ability to show others what great works we can do.  To finish the quilts, we hosted a second event with fellow Scarborough Rotarians Deb Pease and Reyleigh McKay to finalize the project.  Another great time.”

 

Katelyn continues, “None of this would have been possible without all of the support from my club and my school. I can’t wait to send these quilts off with Rotoplast to help make a difference in these children’s lives. I also want to thank Terry Hodgkins for starting such an amazing program 25 years ago and Dr. Ann Demeranville for continuing to keep it going.”

 

Scarborough Rotary would like to thank Katelyn Pierson for her leadership and dedication to Service Above Self.   Even with the demands of becoming a dentist, she has made time for Rotary.  We believe Katelyn is helping to bridge Rotary of the past to the Rotary of the future by making Rotary relevant to the lives of people in the present.