Dear Family & Friends,
Do you know what the longest word is in the dictionary? It’s “Smiles”…because there’s a ‘mile’ between the two s’. So why is that important? Well…a small group of friends and I have set a fundraising goal to secure 330 smiles!!! Yes…smiles!!! …and our benefactors are 330 children born with cleft palate and facial deformities. These children will gain this life-changing gift from Smile Train – a 501 (c) (3) non-profit Organization – an organization that is dedicated to changing children’s lives one smile at a time.
Through Smile Train’s organizational where-with-all, $250.00 is all that is required for corrective surgery that will provide a lifetime of smiles. It is a program that not only touches the lives of the individual child, but all those whose lives are touched by that child - the ripple effect is undeniable and powerful. The Smile Train is an American charity devoted to providing free cleft palate/craniofacial reconstructive surgery to children in 76 developing countries around the world.
Their work in third world countries is amazing and what they accomplish for the price of $250 for a child, their family, their status in their community (no longer will they be outcasts in their communities), their future (no longer one of shame and isolation) and their sense of self esteem is well beyond the cost of $250 per child.
Our source of motivation comes from the 2009 Oscar winning Documentary "Smile Pinki". This documentary chronicles a captivating story of a poor little girl in rural India who lives in desperation as she is ostracized by her village and not allowed to attend school because of her cleft lip. With the assistance of the Smile Train, Pinki's life is magically transformed when she receives free surgery to correct her cleft lip. It is an amazing documentary and a story I believe we all can relate to - imagine if we didn't have the smiles we were born with, how different the world would treat us......hence our motivation to work with Smile Train.
Through Smile Train’s organizational where-with-all, $250.00 is all that is required for corrective surgery that will provide a lifetime of smiles. It is a program that not only touches the lives of the individual child, but all those whose lives are touched by that child - the ripple effect is undeniable and powerful. The Smile Train is an American charity devoted to providing free cleft palate/craniofacial reconstructive surgery to children in 76 developing countries around the world.
Their work in third world countries is amazing and what they accomplish for the price of $250 for a child, their family, their status in their community (no longer will they be outcasts in their communities), their future (no longer one of shame and isolation) and their sense of self esteem is well beyond the cost of $250 per child.
Our source of motivation comes from the 2009 Oscar winning Documentary "Smile Pinki". This documentary chronicles a captivating story of a poor little girl in rural India who lives in desperation as she is ostracized by her village and not allowed to attend school because of her cleft lip. With the assistance of the Smile Train, Pinki's life is magically transformed when she receives free surgery to correct her cleft lip. It is an amazing documentary and a story I believe we all can relate to - imagine if we didn't have the smiles we were born with, how different the world would treat us......hence our motivation to work with Smile Train.
(Smile Pinki YouTube posting) Any donation, large or small, is a valuable contribution to one child at a time. With this said, I am requesting that you consider the ripple effect of repairing one such cleft......Imagine having the impact on 330 lives and more when we consider all those that they love as well for a target goal of $250 per smile.
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