Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant.
-Horace

Not every teenager starts her own charitable organization before she's out of high school.

...Not every teenager spends half of her high school years in and out of bed, either.

Freshman LEAD Scholar Michelle Ducker began Project Smile in her hometown of Coral Springs, Florida when she was 17.

Her compassion for hospitalized children has a unique source: at 14, Michelle began to suffer from Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS). Both the cause and cure for CFIDS are unidentified at this time. She spent two years in and out of bed as doctors struggled to diagnose and then bring her symptoms under control. Michelle saw and experienced firsthand the loneliness of hospitalized children and the way that their days can be brightened by small kindnesses.

"It took me around two years to fully understand what was going on with my body and to find hope in my new life of limitations. Sometimes it's hard to find motivation or hope when you feel trapped in a hospital room with machines beeping, alarms going off, and needles everywhere you look–it can be a scary place, especially for children," she recalls. "Our intent (in starting Project Smile) was to help make their hospital experience less traumatic… by bringing in their favorite characters to take their mind off why they are there for the time being and give them encouragement and hope.”

When her health allowed it, Michelle began using costumes borrowed from her job at a special events company called Superstar Productions. She began organizing teams of teenagers who dressed up as various cartoon and TV characters and visited the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida to encourage the children staying there. Informal at first, the organization quickly became a valued volunteer asset at Joe DiMaggio and is now in the process of receiving Florida nonprofit status.

"My heart aches for children who have health obstacles to go through–I know some of their pain and want to do anything to help them find hope and to let them know, from experience, that things can get better, you can feel better," she continued.

Every nonprofit leader will eventually find that one of their greatest challenges—and joys—is in finding and motivating volunteers. “In high school, it was my friends whom I convinced to get involved with Project Smile,” Michelle stated. “I have witnessed many of my friends' hearts mold into those of volunteers… (they’ve) become very active either with (Project Smile) or with other organizations.” Unexpectedly, she found that transforming her volunteers’ perspectives was another major motivation to persevere with Project Smile. “This transformation they had… made me even more dedicated to the project,” she explained earnestly.

When Michelle began trying to decide on a college, LEAD Scholars helped sway her towards UCF. “When I read the (LEAD Scholars Program’s)…brochure , it was the LEAD philosophy that stuck out to me: ‘To Learn, To Lead, to Serve.’ I read on to learn that the program was very involved with service projects and enhancing leadership skills. The more I learned about the LEAD Scholar program the more interested I was in being a part of it,” she stated. “I looked for a similar program in the other universities I was considering and found none that came close to what the LEAD program offered. LEAD (Scholars) made UCF stand out from all the other schools.”

During her first semester in Orlando this fall, she worked hard to find a niche for Project Smile. After meeting with executives at Universal Studios and the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Women and Children, she learned that costumed employees from Disney and Universal were already visiting children at Arnold Palmer. Because of these existing programs and concerns with copyright sensitivity, the costumes that Project Smile has would not be as unique or welcome in the Orlando hospital as they had been in Hollywood. As Michelle put it, Project Smile had to “expand its boundaries and open new doors”—something familiar to many in leadership roles. She has found a new focus and outlet for her organization: A team of Project Smile volunteers now plan regular holiday parties (starting with Valentines Day last spring) for the children at the hospital. According to Michelle, the volunteers provide food, activities, favors, companionship, "and much more!" for the children.

Project Smile is also partnering with another organization that comforts sick children; the program is helping out regularly at Parents’ Night Out at Give Kids the World.

The Project Smile costumes cannot be used at the hospital, but Michelle believes that there will be plenty of opportunities to bless children at other venues with them. Last December, for example, Project Smile sponsored a visit by Sesame Street’s Elmo at the Place of Comfort’s part for HIV/AIDS affected children at Orangewood Presbyterian Church. “We are willing and happy to do any event we are asked to participate in,” Michelle declared.

The Hollywood branch of Project Smile continues to operate. Michelle trained a team of volunteers to take over before she came to college, and says that they are doing a great job. She oversees the Hollywood activities via phone and stays in regular contact with the Child Life specialist at the hospital there.

Last spring, she balanced her Project Smile activities with a part-time job at Waccadoo’s and her Interpersonal Communications major. This fall, she's interning with UCF's Catholic Campus Ministry in marketing and public relations.

Not surprisingly, her plans for the future are ambitious and focused around helping others. “Through Project Smile and retreat programs where I have been a guest speaker, I have found my passion for helping others and speaking," she said. " I hope to… one day reach my goal of putting together a motivational speaking campaign aimed at high school to college students. I have learned so much through my experience with Project Smile that I want to share with others to encourage and inspire them to get involved and make a difference.”

Michelle's health has improved, and while she has to pace herself and monitor her symptoms closely, she is enjoying what she calls her "new life of limitations."

"I am happy to say that I have come a long way in four years... I might not be able to run, play soccer, or stay up 'til daybreak every morning, but I can smile and be thankful for all the amazing blessings I have," she declared.

“Project Smile has shown me what courage and strength children have and how much a simple smile can bring hope to one's heart,” Michelle confided. We here at LEAD Scholars Program are proud of our part in bringing Michelle to UCF and honored to help her achieve her dreams for Project Smile—and her future!