Hopkins School District #270

02/09/2012

A group of Hopkins students are organizing a local event that will have international impact. Smile Fest, a battle of the bands fundraiser, is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 10, at the Hopkins Depot (9451 Excelsior Blvd., Hopkins, MN 55343). All proceeds will benefit Operation Smile, an international children's medical charity that provides free reconstructive surgeries for children born with cleft palates, forever changing their lives.

Smile Fest features five local bands and runs from 6 p.m. to midnight. The cost is $7 at the door. Raffle tickets for great prizes will be sold for $1. The band lineup is:

• Wolf Mountain

• Filthy Flamingos (Cloud 9)

• Eden

• Clear Recognition

• Kids Like Us

This is the second year of Smile Fest, which is the brainchild of about 15 Hopkins students who make up the local chapter of Operation Smile. To date, it is the group's biggest fundraiser, earning $800 last year. The money goes a long way since, in Africa, a simple cleft palate surgery costs about $250.

"This is a really great cause, and it is fun to get together with other students to work on something for the greater good," said Danielle Smith, the co-chair of Smile Fest.

Donations for Operation Smile can also be mailed to Hopkins High School (2400 Lindbergh Drive, Minnetonka, MN 55305) in care of staff advisor Bobbi Pointer.