Patient Highlight: Cody Lawson

When Cody arrived at our office, it was no surprise to us that he was a servant to those in need. He radiates kindness and we’re thrilled to highlight the awesome acts he does for our community. Cody’s smile and story are sure to inspire you.

At a young age, Cody started giving back to Make Promises Happen, which is a camp within the Central Oklahoma Camp and Conference Center.

“I became involved with Make Promises Happen when I was 14,” said Cody. “I’m from Sand Springs, and I was involved with Special Olympics. One of the coaches for Special Olympics invited me to come to camp and volunteer! I was super excited and I haven’t stopped since.”

Cody has volunteered for more than 12 years and even met his wife at camp. Now he’s a full-time employee as the Director of Marketing, Public Relations and the Make Promises Happen Coordinator for the facility. Located just south of Guthrie on 306 acres, they offer settings for everyone’s comfort and enjoyment, including the elderly and disabled. The Make Promises Happen camp provides outdoor recreational activities for individuals ages 6 and up of all ability levels. They provide 15 events throughout the year for campers with weekend events in the spring and fall, as well as summer events during June and July. They provide campers a one-on-one volunteer, and activities at the camp include archery, paintball target shooting, axe throwing, a ropes course, zip line, fishing, peddle boating, arts and crafts, talent shows and more! They even take groups skiing in Winter Park, Colorado; surfing in Port Aransas, TX; and have gone to Costa Rica! Make Promises Happen provides campers the opportunity to experience outdoor recreational activities that are fully accessible or adaptable to meet the needs of everyone who attends!

“What inspires me when it comes to working with people is seeing them accomplish things that they may have thought they would never be able to accomplish,” said Cody. “At camp we have a saying Life Without Limits, and to see our campers come through the gates and ride the zip line, shoot an arrow, or perform in the talent show, is just extremely rewarding. A lot of our campers outside the gates get told no, no you can’t do this because of your disability, but inside our gates we leave those limitations behind and say YES! That helps create an atmosphere that is like nothing else, and that’s why I continue to do what I do: To help create more moments like those.”

Cody arrived at our office to get his smile corrected to feel more confident. “I’m in front of a lot of people daily, so a corrected smile will give me that extra boost to feel better about myself in front of others.”

We’re so proud to serve Cody with a new smile and have enjoyed getting to know him. If you would like to get involved with Make Promises Happen please visit centralokcamp.org. You can also email Cody at cody@centralokcamp.org and he would love to give you more information!

Smiles That Inspire is a series highlighted by Orthodontic Arts. We believe that every patient makes an impact. If you know if a patient doing good works in the community please email Chelsea Moore at Cmoore@orthodonticarts.com.