About Us
Magical Moments Foundation (MMF) is a wish-granting organization for children with craniofacial disorders. Through our fundraisers and educational club events, we draw awareness to the physical and psychological difficulties faced by children with craniofacial differences. As a club, we seek to foster greater compassion and consideration for the lifelong harm caused by appearance-related stigma, promote acceptance of facial diversity, and get funds for life-changing procedures for these children. Appearance-related stigma is strongly present in society, negatively affecting the lives of children with facial diversity in physical and visible but also invisible ways. Children with facial differences are often victims of teasing, bullying, and isolation, leading to great pain that can leave emotional and physical scars that last a lifetime. Children who face the world with a difference also endure the challenge of a more silent, but just as damaging, form of stigma: that of unconscious bias. As a result, many children with differences grow up in a world that tells them that their dreams must be smaller than those of their peers. Magical Moments Foundation works to call out this unconscious bias and its harmful effects on children’s dreams. If granted a charter, we would host fun fundraisers that engage the Emory community while also drawing awareness to the struggles that children with craniofacial differences face. For instance, our executive board is currently planning a pickleball tournament in collaboration with the Emory-affiliated pickleball club. Becoming chartered would allow us to carry out this project, as funds are required to secure prizes for the winners and incentivize student engagement. Without being chartered, we have run into a variety of issues, such as being unable to participate in the club fair or host certain events. For instance, one of the major goals of MMF is raising awareness. Magical Moments Foundation would love to host events such as movie nights, where students can gather and watch “Wonder”, a film that displays the difficulty of growing up with a facial difference. However, doing so requires a small budget for location and bolstering attending, such as providing free popcorn. For students who are specifically interested in plastic surgery, oral surgery, medicine, and dentistry, this club offers them an opportunity to connect with experts in the field. Over 40 undergraduate Emory students have already signed up to be on our mailing list and are invested in the future of this club. We have spoken to healthcare providers who are invested in the future of this club and are willing to talk to students through “Lunch and Learn” programs. These events will be open to all undergraduate students, including underclassmen such as Freshmen and Sophomores. The ability to inspire undergraduate students to pursue these careers and help children with craniofacial difficulties is a privilege. Similar programs have been established at other college charters across the United States, such as UNC, UGA, UMiami, Duke, and many more. Furthermore, establishing a charter of MMF at Emory connects Emory to other colleges nationwide. This will allow for the expansion of student networks and greater collaboration on ideas for Magical Moments Foundation! We could collaborate with other colleges through a national Magical Moments raffle day, where we collect donations across college campuses. We could also do this in the form of the annual Day of Giving and partner with other chapters of MMF. For the children, we create magical experiences that restore hope and provide comfort, inspiration, and encouragement to children with facial differences that are the result of genetic disorders, congenital anomalies, cancer treatment, severe trauma and burns. These children are often overlooked in society, but on the Emory campus, we will make it our mission to highlight their needs. By creating our Emory branch of MMF, we hope to bring together the Emory community to support children in understanding that they are not limited in what they can do because of their appearance.
