NEW YORK, NEW YORK – On May 3, 2012,
Operation Smile, an international
children’s medical charity, hosted its
10th Annual New York City
Smile Event at Cipriani Wall Street.
The event recognized the more than
200,000 life-altering surgeries it has
provided to children around the world
who were born with cleft lips and cleft
palates.
The 10th Annual New York City
Smile Event honored the Hearst
Corporation and Hearst Family for their
commitment and dedication to Operation
Smile. Frank A. Bennack Jr., Chief
Executive Officer of Hearst Corporation,
presented an award to Gillian Hearst
Simmonds and Lydia Hearst for their
family’s steadfast support of Operation
Smile throughout the charity’s ten years
in New York City.
Donald Trump Sr. made a generous gift of
$100,000 during the night’s live
auction, a gift that will bring 417 new
smiles to children around the world.
Sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump
followed their father’s lead, both also
making generous gifts during the live
auction to support Operation Smile.
Several notable celebrities guests were
in attendance to show their support for
Operation Smile, including: Donald Trump
Sr. & Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump &
Jared Kushner, Gillian and Lydia Hearst,
Sabrina Soto (HGTV Host and Designer),
Katie Lee (celebrity chef), Donald Trump
Jr. and Vanessa Trump, John Salley,
Sharif Atkins (TV star, White
Collar),
Miss Leila Lopes (Miss Universe), Alyssa
Campanella (Miss USA), and Danielle Doty
(Miss Teen USA).
“We are thrilled that we will be able to
bring thousands of new smiles to
children around the world after this
special night,”
said Dr. Bill Magee, co-founder of
Operation Smile.
The need for quality cleft care is
urgent. Every 3 minutes, it is estimated
that a child is born with a cleft
condition. One in 10 children born with
a cleft dies before their first
birthday. Children born with clefts are
often unable to eat, speak, socialize or
smile. With the help of medical
volunteers and generous supporters,
Operation Smile provides free surgeries
for children around the world to heal
their smiles and transform their lives.
For updates on Operation Smile’s global
efforts, visit the daily blogs on
www.operationsmile.org,
follow @operationsmile on Twitter, and
on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/operationsmile.
About Operation Smile (www.operationsmile.org)
Operation Smile, headquartered in
Norfolk, Virginia, is an international
children’s medical charity with a
presence in more than 60 countries,
whose network of more than 5,000 medical
volunteers from over 80 countries is
dedicated to helping improve the health
and lives of children. Since its
founding in 1982, Operation Smile has
provided more than 2 million healthcare
evaluations and conducted over 200,000
free surgeries for children and young
adults born with cleft lips, cleft
palates and other facial deformities, as
well as patients suffering from burns.
To build long-term self-sufficiency in
developing countries, Operation Smile
donates medical equipment, provides
year-round medical treatment through
Comprehensive Care Centers, and trains
local medical professionals in its
partner countries so they are empowered
to treat their own local communities.