In just a few days, an annual event hosted by the Global Smile Foundation will dedicate its proceeds to making life-changing cleft lip/palate surgeries possible.

On November 2, the Celebration for Smiles will raise funds to support upcoming medical missions by Global Smile. Purchase tickets here: https://www.myrollcall.com/app/#/org/view/4217 or at the door on Saturday in Randolph, Massachusetts.

Can’t attend? Opportunities to volunteer, donate and sponsor are available at: https://gsmile.org/gala-event/

During a recent mission to Guayaquil, Ecuador, the Global Smile Foundation dental team performed 266 dental procedures, including one on Matias, shown below. Global Smile Foundation (GSF) volunteers have been involved with outreach cleft programs in Guayaquil for the past 32 years. GSF has become the largest provider of cleft care in the country and works closely with el Gobierno del Guayas, Hospital León Becerra, Fundación Global Smile-Ecuador, and the local medical community.

When the Global Smile team evaluated Matias in 2018, he was too malnourished to undergo surgery.. Thanks to donations from several supporters, including Global Smile Foundation Board Member RG Conlee, Matias received the baby formula he needed to grow and our team was able to perform his cleft lip repair this year. He is shown at Hospital León Becerra de Guayaquil.

“As we reflect on our 11-year anniversary, we are able to see how far we have come as a foundation, bringing together the experience & dedication of our volunteers for over 32 years! Join us in celebrating this important milestone & mark your calendars for November 2, 2019!”

Global Smile Foundation commented on Instagram

According to their website, Global Smile Foundation (GSF) is dedicated to “making first-class cleft care accessible to all patients regardless of geographic or socioeconomic barriers. There is a pressing need for sustainable cleft care in developing countries where the consequences of those conditions are devastating, if left untreated.” They explain some scenarios that exist:

  • Fathers often leave the family, believing their child or their marriage, has been cursed; parents will abandon their infant in the hospital, unable to cope with the future the child will face.
  • Children with cleft are generally ostracized from society, unable to go to school or make friends.
  • As adults, patients with cleft lips or palates have little chance of making a living.
  • Most patients keep from one to five family members home caring for them, rather than earning wages to support the household.

Want to learn how you can help?

Learn more about the organization: https://gsmile.org/