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Swampscott resident Lila Caplan plans to raise $15,000 in two years
Swampscott teen Lila Caplan was so moved by a group of kids she met this summer, she’s launched a campaign to raise $15,000 in two years to save a child’s heart. Literally.
“I’m determined to raise it by the time I graduate … I’m a very optimistic person,” said Caplan, a junior at The Academy at Penguin Hall.
Caplan is raising money for “Save a Child’s Heart,” an Israel-based nonprofit organization with a mission, according to its website, “of improving the quality of pediatric cardiac care for children in developing countries … regardless of the child’s nationality, religion, color, gender or financial situation.”
As a Council in Training with the Cohen Camps, a group of three New England based Jewish overnight camps, Caplan attended a five-week leadership program in Israel over the summer. It was there she was introduced to “Save a Child’s Heart.”
She said she learned the organization performs heart surgeries on children in need from over 57 different countries across Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe.
“And they train surgeons to perform the surgeries, too,” she added
Caplan said if a child in need is in a region where there is no team of doctors who can perform the surgery, they will fly the child to Israel.
“Up to 5 years old, the kids are flown with a parent, but if the child is over 5, they come alone,” she said.
For the children that come to Israel alone, there is a team of caregivers to watch over the children and volunteers, like Caplan’s group, that come and play with the kids.
“There was actually a pretty big language barrier, they don’t really speak Hebrew,” Caplan said, admitting she doesn’t either. “And they speak all different languages, but it really didn’t hinder us because we were all just kids.”
Caplan said she and a friend gravitated to one little girl who they spent time coloring with and helped her with lunch.
“When she went down for a nap, we played cards with a group of older kids,” she said. “They actually taught me new card game.”
Caplan said there were also dozens of translators who helped the girls talk to the kids, some of whom had already had surgeries and showed off their scars and some of whom were waiting. She said when she learned it cost $15,000 for just one heart surgery she was instantly determined to raise that much money by the time she graduated high school.
“It just touched me,” she said. “I got to sit down with these kids and see how much it means to them. It’s a lot of money, but it’s their whole life.”
Caplan said she can’t believe the nonprofit has done so many surgeries.
Founded in 1995, the organization, to date, has saved the lives of more than 4,800 children and trained more than 120 medical members, according to its website. “Save a Child’s Heart” also received this year, the United Nations Population Award.
She said she also likes that the operations aren’t just a one-and-done.
“They bring kids back if they need more surgeries,” she said. “If they have an operation when they’re 6 and need another when they’re 19, they get another operation. I just think that’s so cool.”
How will she do it?
Caplan launched her fundraising campaign at Penguin Hall with a “Punish the Principal” Day. She came up with five pranks, which were approved by the head of school. Caplan then put out mason jars and charge students to vote on which prank the principal would have to submit to.
“She had to wear a penguin suit, complete with flippers, all day,” Caplan said.
For her next event, Caplan is putting her talent for braiding hair to good use.
“Usually for the Powder Puff game, girls will get their hair braided,” she said. “And I can do that. I go to summer camp–that’s what you do at summer camp. You braid each others hair.”
Years of braiding her sisters and cousins hair as well as doing hair and make up for theater productions has made her a pro, Caplan said.
“I’m hoping instead of going to professionals, they’ll consider coming to me,” she said. “I’ll do it for less. I can do all the same stuff and all the money will go toward the $15,000.”
Caplan has flyers she plans to spread around town and she’s not limiting it to the Powder Puff players. She said she’ll braid hair for underclbadmen as well if they want it.
To make an appointment email her at [email protected] or call 781-941-9222.
She also plans to play her violin at the Farmers Market to raise more cash.
“I’ll make a pretty sign and put it out there and play,” she said. “I’ve done it before…my violin’s never failed me.”
Caplan said she’s raised between $700 and $800 for Feeding America busking with her violin so she is confident that given two years, she can kick it up a notch or three.
“Fingers crossed,” she said.
When asked what she’ll do if she gets lucky and reaches her goal before she graduates, she laughed.
“It would be great if by the end of my junior year I was over and done with it,” she said. “Maybe my next goal would be to raise $25,000 to train a surgeon, but right now, I’m set on the $15,000.”
The help Caplan reach her goal, participants can email her at — or go to https://www.saveachildsheart.com/ and click the donate button on the top right.
“They can make a donation (in Caplan’s name) print a receipt and give it to me,” Caplan said. “I can count that toward my $15,000.”
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