FOLEY, Ala. — What would you do if you saw a commercial on television that implored donations for a cause? Most of us would either change the channel or ignore it. But when 10-year-old Paul Hartsock saw a commercial for Smile Train, it was a pivotal momoment.

It was that commercial that led the Foley Elementary School fourth grader to action.

“We raised $250 for surgery to repair a cleft lip,” Foley Elementary School speech language pathologist Charlotte Pegoda said in an interview at school.

For Hartsock, the project was a personal one.

“When I was a baby, I had a cleft lip,” he said, adding that he appreciates the benefits his own operations have brought. “But I know most kids in the world don’t have enough money to have it done,” the 10-year-old said.

Pegoda added that having a cleft lip can carry horrible stigmas for people throughout the majority of the world.

“In some primitive places, they’re rejected from society,” she said. “Some cultures even believe there’s something evil about them.”

Both Pegoda and Hartsock were inspired by the commercials and voiced to each other a desire to help.

“It’s like we were on the same page,” Pegoda said.

So Pegoda, fellow teachers and students joined Hartsock in his fundraising endeavor, which consisted of simply putting one foot in front of the other.

“We walked 5 miles around a track (at Foley Elementary),” Pegoda said. “We asked for sponsors to pledge $1 a mile.”

To help spark interest in pledging, Smile Train provided Hartsock with T-shirts, lapel pins, buttons and bracelets — all at no cost.

“We’re appreciative of the things they do to help you raise money,” Pegoda said.

With promotional items in tow, pledges made and a goal of 5 miles, Hartsock and his entourage walked in four increments.

“We did a mile and a quarter each Tuesday and Thursday,” Pegoda said.

Hartsock’s enthusiasm was so contagious that his family even helped him reach that 5-mile goal.

“I did one round,” Susie Spenella, his mother, said over the phone, adding that his sister and step-brother also walked at least one increment.

Hartsock completed the task on May 11. The result was $240 in pledges and the contribution of  an anonymous donor. But on the day of the interview, the amount increased by another $10.

With that $250, Smile Train will be able to operate on one child anywhere in the world.

“We’re confident that one child will get surgery because of this,” Pegoda said.

That’s because the non-profit Smile Train limits the cost of the surgeries to $250. According to the organization’s website, a staff of 58 provides those operations to those who can’t afford it in more than 80 countries throughout the world.

“This is going to change a child’s life,” Pegoda said. “I think this is also changing Paul’s life.”

Hartsock merely smiled at the comment. But his mother believes the project is par for the course for the 10-year-old.

“He’s just very thoughtful,” she said. “He always thinks of others. He always asks what he can do to help — except when it comes to cleaning his room.”

With one fundraiser under their belts, Hartsock and Pegoda are already looking toward the future.

“This has been so successful, we’re thinking about doing this once a year,”Pegoda said.

For more information about Smile Train, visit www.SmileTrain.org.