NEW YORK, May 18th, 2012 – “Smile Train has
provided 750,000 free cleft surgeries to children around
the world since its founding in 1999, and will now
dedicate itself to reaching the goal of “1 million
smiles” within two and half years,” Smile Train
Co-Founder and Chairman Charles B. Wang announced at a
dinner in New York City tonight.
The dinner was held at the Russian Tea Room to thank
Smile Train’s donors and update them on the progress the
organization has made towards achieving the mission
which began 13 years ago: to give every child born with
a cleft – anywhere in the world – the opportunity to
live a full, happy and productive life.
Smile Train is the world's largest cleft charity, with
over 2,200 partner surgeons operating in over 1,100
partner hospitals across 76 countries. It has a unique
model of empowering local medical professionals to
provide free, safe and quality corrective cleft
surgery. This work provides a child with a second
chance at life through surgery that costs as little as
$250.
Smile Train took the
dinner attendees through a visual journey from the very
first patient – a 10-year-old girl named Wang Li from
China to Jhoanna Galut, a 6-year-old girl from the
Philippines who recently received the 750,000th
surgical procedure. A video of Wang Li showed how much
a life can be changed through this relatively simple
surgery. Wang Li was recently married over Chinese New
Year.
After thanking Smile
Train’s supporters at the dinner, Mr. Wang said, “While
we are proud and delighted that Smile Train has helped
hundreds of thousands of deserving children from Wang Li
to Jhoanna, we don’t intend to rest on our laurels.
Millions of children around the world still suffer from
unrepaired clefts. That is why Smile Train will
re-double our efforts to give these children the medical
help that will transform their lives. And that is why,
with the help of current and new supporters around the
world, we are determined to reach our next milestone.”
The dinner expenses
were covered by a generous gift to
Smile Train from RR Donnelley,
a global provider of
integrated communications.
ABOUT SMILE TRAIN
Founded in 1999, Smile
Train provides free cleft lip and palate surgery to
children from poor families that give a child not just a
new smile, but also a chance at a new life. For
additional information, please visit
www.smiletrain.org.