Hosted by Jeannie
Mai, the evening also honored Kimora
Lee Simmons, Naiomi Glasses, and Shoba Lonappan for their commitment to
transforming lives through global cleft care
NEW
YORK, May 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Last night,
Smile Train, the world's largest cleft-focused organization,
hosted their 25th anniversary gala at Cipriani 42nd Street
in New York City. The gala was a
major milestone event, celebrating a quarter century of unwavering
commitment to ensuring every person has access to high-quality
comprehensive cleft care, as well as the organization's two
millionth surgery.
Susannah Schaefer, President
and CEO of Smile Train, opened the momentous evening stating
"Smile Train's impact has only grown. Through economic crises,
wars, and even a global pandemic… I think the results speak for
themselves - tens of thousands of surgeons and interdisciplinary
medical professionals trained, millions of successful surgeries,
tens of billions of dollars in global economic impact, and a galaxy
of smiles!"
Jeannie Mai, TV
personality and executive producer, hosted the event, which brought
together Smile Train's global network to celebrate the charity's
impact of lighting up children's lives with smiles. The evening
honored Kimora Lee Simmons,
Naiomi Glasses, and Shoba
Lonappan for their efforts to transform
children's lives – and smiles – forever. Multi-platinum
recording artist Jordin
Sparks joined with a musical performance, and DJ
Jazzy Jeff hosted the afterparty.
- Kimora Lee Simmons;
Entrepreneur, creative director, and Smile Train Ambassador
received the Goodwill Ambassador Award, presented to a
member of Smile Train's family who selflessly and proudly advocates
for their work.
"A child's smile is universal… I recently had the
opportunity to visit Peru [with
Smile Train]. I was able to bring the well-wishes and support of
hundreds of women who believe in Smile Train's work. I also had the
opportunity to hear the stories of children and families who are
transformed by these surgeries. Let's keep changing the world
for these kids."
- Naiomi Glasses; Diné weaver and designer
Smile Maker Award, recognizing a cleft-affected person who
inspires others with their courage and spirit.
"I'm proud of what I get to do. What I'm most proud of
is that I can represent my Diné, my people, to the world. I am
often the only Native person in the room. I am often the only
cleft-affected person in the room. And that is always an incredible
opportunity to share my story, on behalf of all the people who
might be overlooked. So for any of the Native kids and their
families who are cleft-affected, and wondering if they can find the
resources to get to the big city for treatment, I am here to say
you can. And if there's a little boy or little girl out
there who has BIG dreams and wants to live them someday, I hope you
can look at me and see that you can. And for the cleft-affected
kids who get bullied at school because they look different, I'll
tell you the same thing my mom told me: you are beautiful, you can
do and be anything you want in this life."
- Shoba Lonappan; Nurse and
Smile Train Partner
Teach a Woman to Fish Award, celebrating a philosophy core to
Smile Train's work since its founding by empowering local
caregivers and providers to care for children with clefts.
"For me, the most rewarding part of my work is meeting
the children after they have recovered from surgery. They are happy
and smiling, just like a healthy child should, and so are their
parents. For me, this is the best feeling in the world. Smile Train
has been a wonderful partner. You help us give these patients the
care they need. You help us "teach a person to fish." These
children come to our clinic helpless and afraid. With your support,
they leave ready to integrate into society and enjoy a brighter,
happier future. Your generosity is changing lives here in Thrissur,
and all over the world."
Smile Train is the only cleft-focused organization with a
sustainable and local model of supporting cleft surgeries and other
forms of essential care to include oral health, speech services,
ENT, and audiology. To date, Smile Train has empowered more than
2,100 medical professionals across 95+ countries to provide more
than 2 million free, high-quality, life-changing cleft surgeries to
people in need. The organization has also ensured a bright future
for cleft treatment and care, hosting 60,000+ training
opportunities for medical workers and partnering with more than
1,100 health centers.
Kate Bosworth and
Justin Long served as
co-chairs of the Honorary Gala Committee alongside Kenyan
Drake, Howie Mandel,
Chanel Iman, Christie Brinkley, Elizabeth Gillies, and Reba McEntire. Bank of America served as the
Platinum Sponsor.
For more information about the event, please visit
smiletrain25.com.
ABOUT SMILE TRAIN:
Smile Train empowers local medical
professionals with training, funding, and resources to provide free
cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children globally. We
advance a sustainable solution and scalable global health model for
cleft treatment, drastically improving children's lives, including
their ability to eat, breathe, speak, and ultimately thrive. To
learn more about how Smile Train's sustainable approach means
donations have both an immediate and long-term impact, please visit
smiletrain.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Sunshine
Sachs Morgan & Lylis
smiletrain@ssmandl.com
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SOURCE Smile Train