NEW YORK, Aug. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Smile Train, the world's largest cleft lip and palate charity, announced the "All It Takes Is A Smile" Campaign, which will begin on September 12th and culminate on World Smile Day (October 5th) with a special event in Times Square, New York City.
The "All It Takes Is A Smile" campaign invites users to upload their photos of a smile to Instagram, Twitter or Tumblr using the hashtag #SmileTrainWSD in the photo caption, between September 12 and October 5.
In addition to the "All It Takes Is A Smile" social media initiative, Smile Train will set up four photo booths in Times Square on World Smile Day (October 5th). The booths will have the capability to instantly print photos and upload them to social media pages. Smile Train is also joining forces with New York City schools to have students attend the World Smile Day event in Times Square. The students will wear World Smile Day t-shirts in support of Smile Train's cause and will participate in events throughout the day that support this initiative.
"We are honored to be celebrating World Smile Day in New York City and to bring awareness to this cause," says Priscilla Ma, Executive Director of Smile Train. "Smile Train continues to provide life-changing, free cleft treatment programs for children born with cleft in more than 80 countries around the world - many of them the world's poorest. Through the support of sponsors and donations, we're giving very poor children the opportunity to live full and productive lives."
Smile Train was formed to give children around the world the ability to smile, and the opportunity for a new and productive life. Every day, Smile Train provides more than 320 surgeries for poor children around the world. These surgeries not only provide the precious gift of a smile, but also, a second chance at life. World Smile Day inspires individuals to think about how fortunate they are to have the ability to smile and how important it is to provide that opportunity to those less fortunate. Smile Train was founded in 1999, and has become the world's largest cleft charity with over 2,300 partner surgeons operating in over 1,100 partner hospitals and has helped children in over 80 countries. Every year more than 170,000 children are born with cleft lips and palates in the developing world. Each one can be helped with corrective surgery that costs as little as $250.
Smile Train Contact
FRANK PR
Lina Plath
(646) 861-0843
[email protected]
About Smile Train
Our mission is to provide a child born with a cleft the same opportunities in life as a child born without a cleft. We provide free cleft surgery and comprehensive care to hundreds of thousands of poor children in developing countries and train doctors and medical professionals in over 80 countries.
Unlike many charities that do many different things, Smile Train's mission is focused on solving a single problem: cleft lip and palate.
Clefts are a major problem in developing countries where more than a million children are suffering with unrepaired clefts. Most cannot eat or speak properly. Aren't allowed to attend school or hold a job. And face very difficult lives filled with shame and isolation, pain and heartache. Their clefts usually go untreated because they are poor – too poor to pay for a simple surgery that has been around for decades.
We want our mission to be yours.
About World Smile Day
World Smile Day was created by Harvey Ball who believed that everyone should devote one day each year to smiles and acts of compassion throughout the world. Ball, who created the smiley face logo in 1963, created World Smile Day to revitalize the original meaning of his logo: a symbol of generosity.
SOURCE Smile Train
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