Smile Train, the official charity of Moonlight Glassing and Surfy Surfy

Howdy and Aloha friends,

I know that everyone has their favorite charities to donate to during the holiday season and I want to use today’s Thanksgiving post to pass along my charity of choice.

It’s called Smile Train, an international organization of doctors who focus on cleft lip and palate repairs for the poorest children in the world.

www.smiletrain.org

Before and after photos of 11 year patient Yi Yun in China helped by Smile Train doctors.

Before and after photos of 1 year old Shivarudrayya in India.

Here is portions of an email we received from Smile Train co-founder and President, Brian Mullaney:

Dear Fellow Smile Train Donor,

We have a lot to be thankful for here at The Smile Train this Thanksgiving.

So far this year, we’ve provided free cleft surgery for a record number of children – more than 87,564 surgeries so far in 2008.

I got to meet 143 of those 87,564 children a couple weeks ago when I traveled to the slums of Calcutta. There, in 99 degree heat, in a hot and dusty courtyard of our partner hospital, were 143 very lucky children whose lives we changed (that “we” includes you) with a simple 45 minute surgery that costs as little as $250.

I literally got to meet and photograph virtually every one of these kids. One by one, I got to shake their tiny hands, hear their stories, hold and hug them, listen to their grateful parents who told us just how much this surgery meant to them. One father broke down completely, sobbing that he didn’t know which God to pray to or who to thank for this miracle that saved his son’s life. My favorite part was listening to these kids talk about what they want to be when they grow up – now that this miracle surgery had handed them back their future, and a second chance at life that most of them never thought they’d get.

On this Thanksgiving, I wanted to let you know how thankful we are for your support. This financial turmoil has caused our donations to plummet and made finding new donors more difficult than ever.

Please know that we never take your support for granted and we are truly grateful you got on board our little train.

Happy Thanksgiving.

And as always, thanks for helping us help these kids.

Brian
Co-Founder/President
(212)689-9199
brianm@smiletrain.org

P.S. A very generous, anonymous donor has offered to match any and all donations we receive from this email, up to $25,000, and especially for anyone who purchases our Smile Train Holiday and Tribute Cards. We can send them on your behalf in honor or memory of someone or you can send them yourself. Each card will put a smile on two faces and believe me, we need your help more than Hallmark does! Click here to find out more.

*Thanks everyone! And remember, our silent auction Sacred Craft Expression Session entry board money goes to Smile Train, click here.