Nikole Crane

Nikole Crane has put smiles on the faces of twelve children in foreign countries.

Through the sale of lip balms that she created, the Trinity High School senior raised more than $3,000 during the 2013-14 school year for Smile Train, a charity that fixes cleft lips and palates of children in developing countries. That translated into 12 surgeries for children.

The effort earned her the honor of distinguished youth speaker when 359 high school and college students received the Cook County Sheriff’s Youth Service Medal of Honor earlier this month. Youths received the honor in recognition for volunteering more than 100 hours of service to their community.

“I was so surprised,” Crane said of being chosen to address her peers, “but it was an excellent opportunity for me to relay information about Smile Train to others.”
Taking the lead from her mother, who created and sold items (including lip balm) at Whole Foods, Crane made, packaged and sold her own lip balm at arts and crafts fairs and holiday events.

“I do all the labor myself,” Crane said. “Friends help me sell at craft fairs, but they get mad when I don’t let them take any of the profits!”
Crane said her family has been supporters of the Smile Train effort for years and she even did her Girl Scout Gold project, an 80-hour effort, on behalf of the charity.
Selling for $5 per tube, Crane’s lip balm has made a difference in the lives of families throughout developing countries.

The student at Trinity in River Forest notes that 100 percent of the proceeds from each sale go toward the surgeries.

“Everything raised is passed along,” Crane said. “Everything is for the kids. Seeing their smiling faces makes it worth doing.”
Even the cost of creating the product is absorbed as Crane’s mother had supplies left from her own lip-balm foray and what needs to be purchased, Crane buys with money raised from baby-sitting and other jobs.
She thanks her mom for mentoring her along the way.

“She is amazing in doing what she does,” Crane said.

The Riverside native is hoping to attend the University of Chicago as a pre-law student next year, but says college life will not impact her fund-raising efforts. She plans to continue raising money for Smile Train during breaks and whenever she has free time, which isn’t often.

“I see myself staying involved with fund-raising for Smile Train,” Crane said. “It has become a big part of my life.”

Crane’s activities include coaching volleyball, working with a refugee committee at her church, being co-editor of her school paper, and being involved in theater activities. She said she would rather be busy.

“I am home, like, one hour a day,” Crane smiles.

But her volunteer work and other extracurricular activities do not take away from Crane’s academics. She is fourth in her class and part of the honors program at Trinity.

She is working on creating a website to showcase her products and hopes to have the site launched soon.

Crane said that every purchase, even one tube, benefits the Smile Train organization.

“Every $5 helps,” she said.

Individuals interested in obtaining Crane’s lip-balm creations or helping out Smile Train can contact Trinity High School at (708) 771-8383.