When I started Smile Train back in the late 90s, I spent all my time trying to turn my friends into donors.
But as Smile Train got bigger and bigger, and as I began to meet thousands of donors, I was lucky enough to start turning some donors into friends.
Two of the best friends I was so lucky to find through Smile Train are Clark Kokich and Lisa Strain.
Even though they live in Seattle, more than a decade ago, they flew to one of our Smile Train major donor events in Los Angeles. That shows you how thoughtful about their philanthropy they are AND how interested they were in supporting our work.
Thankfully, they liked what they heard in LA and offered to host a major donor dinner at their house in Seattle which was very generous of them.
I flew out for it and am so glad I did because not only did I meet a lot of interesting, successful people and raise some money, I also got to know Clark and Lisa.
They are both remarkable people. Clark and Lisa adopted not one but two baby girls from a developing country: one from China and one from Romania.
Having visited orphanages all over the world, I admire people who adopt children from developing countries. In addition, Clark and Lisa generously support a broad range of good causes, charities and worthwhile organizations.
They are intelligent, successful, kind and compassionate. Best of all, they are really fun to be around. In spite of all their success, they are down-to-earth, funny and easy-going.
We invited them to come on one of our Smile Train donor trips to India. Just as we knew they would, they really connected with all the patients, doctors and nurses they met. I could tell they appreciated the opportunity to see our programs first-hand. They also came on an eye-opening trip to Africa.
The more Clark and Lisa got to know us, the more donations they sent. Soon they were at the very top of our major donor lists: out of 250,000+ WonderWork donors, they are our 5th biggest and most generous donors.
In addition, Lisa started a very successful company called Keri Gran and they started making very large donations to help us as well.
In 2010, after my co-founder Charles Wang staged a board-room coup and took over Smile Train, I met with Clark in person, in New York city to give him the bad news. He looked like he was going to throw up as he told me they had included Smile Train in their will.
A year later, when we asked for their help to launch WonderWork, Clark and Lisa didn’t hesitate. They were among the first to support us with a very large start-up donation. During one of their trips to New York, they made a surprise visit to our new (and empty) offices one night and brought a big fruit basket. We toasted the future with cheap wine, a bag of Cheetos and great friends.
Their unwavering support and friendship really meant the world to us.
A few years later Clark agreed to join our WonderWork Board of Directors and he brought a lot of experience, intelligence and talent. Clark was one of the few members of our board who had actually been to India and Africa and seen what our surgical programs were all about.
I am hopeful that one day, I’ll get the chance to work with Clark and Lisa again and join forces to bring surgeries to children and adults no one else will help.
I know I am not done.
And I bet my friends Clark and Lisa feel the same way.
