Smile Train Stories

Scottsdale, Arizona — Paul and Shirley Hill knew their 1932 Studebaker Dictator was special — they had restored and upgraded it multiple times since 1951, including a new Chevrolet Corvette Drive Train in 2010 — and they wanted to make it create even more smiles. After a 61 year relationship with the car, and 58 years of a happy marriage, the Hills decided to part ways with their dream car and donate the proceeds to Smile Train.

Yesterday, at the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction and broadcast on the Speed Network, the Studebaker was sold for $79,000, all of which is being donated to Smile Train, where it will provide hundreds of desperate children with new lives. Our deepest thanks the Hills for this remarkable and generous donation.

St. Louis, Mo — Last August, teams from around St. Louis gathered at McNair Park, 20 miles outside of St. Louis, for blue skies, fun times, friendly competition, and to play their hearts out to give children in another part of the world new smiles.

Since 2008, Valari Quarando has organized the Annual Smile Train Charity Softball Tournament, and every year the event gains in popularity. A dedicated Smile Train supporter, Valari is no stranger to clefts: she was born with a cleft lip in 1979, “I was lucky enough to be born in a country where this birth defect can be fixed quite easily, so I wanted to help the children who aren’t as lucky.”

The last three tournaments raised more than $3,000 and the hopes were high to do even better this year. With an amazing turn out and the generosity of participants, volunteers, and local businesses, over $1,700 was raised that will go directly to Smile Train to provide free surgery and follow up care to desperate children.

My brother John Quarando and brother-in-law Brett Willbrand have organized a team to play in the tournament every year since it began. This year their team, Cobra Kai, won the tournament for the first time! I have never seen a team more excited to win. Not only do we get to raise money for new smiles for the little kids of Smile Train, but we get to put smiles on all of the players’ faces as well. I can’t wait till next year!

Thanks to Valari, the players, volunteers, sponsors, and everyone involved in the tournament for giving the kids in our programs something to smile about! Be sure to check out some of the photos from the event.

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Varanasi, India – Paul Peabody, acclaimed violinist with the New York City Ballet and part of the Grammy winning orchestra that scored “Titanic,” just returned from an unforgettable journey providing the gift of music throughout India. A long time Smile Train supporter, Paul enjoyed his second tour of Smile Train India partner hospitals, playing fiddle for patients, families, doctors, and staff.

He spent most of his five weeks alongside Smile Train partners Dr. Sunil Richardson, Dr. Jyostna Murthy, and Dr. Subodh Singh. Paul comforted patients with a myriad of music from classical to traditional Hindi songs, but the requests really came pouring in when staff would find out that he played an integral role in the music for “Titanic.” Paul primarily rotated between the waiting room and the recovery room to calm the fears of patients and parents before surgery and use the healing powers of music to aid in their recovery. Towards the end of his trip, Paul was even asked to play for the doctors inside the OR.

When Dr. Sunil Richardson asked if I would play [in the OR], I gave a stricken look and I made him promise me that there was no way that my sounds could interfere at all with anyone’s concentration! He told me that many surgeons actually play classical music to help them concentrate. In the OR everything worked like clockwork: extremely peaceful.”

Children who had never heard, let alone seen, a violin before, found themselves glued to their seats as the music washed over them. Whether it was playing Hindi folk songs to comfort crying patients, or playing some of the pop songs he worked on for Michael Jackson and Madonna, Paul’s talents, enthusiasm, and kindness revered him to everyone he met.

His visit coincided with India’s Independence Day, August 15, where he joined in the celebration by playing for and assisting in Dr. Singh’s tree planting, Green Independence Day Initiative.

Paul has recently returned to New York and is already getting ready to plan his trip next year.

Last week 7 improv comedy troupes gathered for five amazing shows in support of Smile Train. We are pleased to have the event’s organizer, Heather Clisby, as our first Smile Train Guest Blogger.

Denver, CO – If you’ve ever watched TV’s ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ or had an odd cousin that talked to himself, then you’re familiar with the spontaneous insanity of comedy improv, the fine (sometimes crude) art of Make Stuff Up and Hope It’ll Be Funny. And I speak for all comedy improv performers when I say: Honest to god, we can’t help it. Why? Because it feels like flying, minus TSA and barf bags.

A while back, I approached my Denver-based comedy troupe, Rodents of Unusual Size, and said simply, “Let’s do a benefit show for Smile Train. We make people laugh here in Denver. Why not make them smile in other countries?” Since the first rule of improv is to say “Yes, and…” to everything, they had no choice in the matter. And just like that, an annual tradition was born.

What began as a singular effort in 2008 has grown into 7 troupes, performing 5 shows over 4 days. My ‘comedy husband’, Steve Loukas,  and I organized 50 performers, sound/light technicians and volunteers to translate comedy hijinks into cold, hard cash for the noble Smile Train mission. All shows are held at the wonderful Avenue Theater in downtown Denver, our cozy home base.

I was born with a facial deformity (not a cleft palate, a hemangioma) and well understand the sheer cruelty and physical discomfort that such a condition can render. Lucky for me, I was born in the United States to concerned parents and knowledgeable doctors who worked hard to correct my situation. But in remote villages in a developing nation, how is a parent to know about such a surgery? Or even think about raising the necessary funds for the procedure? Not all kids are as fortunate as I was but certainly, all are deserving of a second chance.

And this is what I explain at the beginning of every show: “So many problems in the world I cannot fix – world hunger, AIDS, war veterans – most too big to get my head around. But this! This is something I can fix. This life changing surgery costs $250 – boom. Done.”

When I tell people that, I see their eyes light up. Finally, a solution that costs so little and does so much good!

We kicked off Wednesday night (August 17) featuring the Rodents of Unusual Size and Intentionally Left Blank for some family-friendly entertainment. A line of empty Mason jars lined the front edge of the stage, each with a performer’s name taped to the front – the now infamous, “Jars of Pains.” (Later in the fall, I’ll fill them with homemade apple sauce or spaghetti sauce and give one to each performer.)

The host encouraged the audience to put money in the jar of their favorite – or least favorite – comedian. The three performers with the most money in their jar play in the dreaded game of Mousetraps where the stage is covered in mousetraps and the players are blindfolded and spun for maximum disorientation. The bold remove their shoes; the meek wear socks even on their hands. Cringe-worthy? Yes. Hilarious? Absolutely. Lots of squealing goes on, always a good sign.

Inevitably, somebody tells somebody they are on fire and “You need to stop, drop, and roll!” In improv, there are no refusals, a player must say “Yes!” to everything so down they go onto the mousetraps. Yeeeow!

These jars are big money makers for us. I saw one woman put $40 in another jar just to make sure her daughter, Sarah, didn’t have to play this game. (Alas, Sarah had to play anyway and miraculously, survived.)

Thursday’s show was also family friendly — if your family is made up entirely of super raunchy comedians. Players from several local troupes joined to form ‘Gay v. Str8’ which was exactly what it sounds like. About 20 performers – half gay, half not – competed before judges to determine who had the most comic chops.

The last half of the show was done in long-form improv, where a theme is pre-decided. Enter, “The Housewives of Colfax,” Colfax being a street famous in Denver for being well stocked with seedy, gritty characters. Performers create scenarios using these characters and rotate in and out, creating story lines and resolutions. Hard to do and even harder when you have to be funny.

Friday night’s show featured Monkey’s Uncle and All of the Above, which produced many a gut-busting moment. It was their decision to turn the “Jars of Pain” into the “Jars of Pleasure” – encouraging people to donate to see their favorite performer in the popular rendition of “Historic Dance-O-Rama.” It’s hard to dance as the Berlin Wall, I must say.

The first show on Saturday night featured Out of the Basement, which included some of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. After this show ended, one of the performers, Mark, whom I had only met at the Thursday night show, approached me with a giant wad of cash. “Here, Heather,” he said as he pressed it into my hand, “I gathered this from my family. It’s $175.” I hugged him, thanked him and hurried backstage, to prepare for the next show.

Moments later, I was preparing for the 8 p.m. show and suddenly, the enormity of his gesture hit me hard. I burst into tears, a bizarre delayed reaction that had my headliner troupe concerned. All that running around, planning, emailing, phone calling – and his incredible generosity brought the point of it all back in resounding clarity.

The closing show, starring those high-energy nutjobs, The Denver Wigs, was a blazing success. The house was full and never quiet. The Wigs are run like a very tight ship, captained by the founder and director, Steve Loukas. Steve’s attention to detail and his leadership inspire his troupe.

Best of all? They hand out pies. Not kidding. Blueberry, apple and pecan. Nearly every audience member gets one. (Note for next year: Don’t put the pie table in front of the video screen making it look like the Smile Train kids are trying to eat the pies. D-oh!) Plus, there’s a raffle drawing. Folks win t-shirts, posters, theater tickets and gift cards. And did I mention there are pies?

We are still counting the money from the show and donations are still coming in to our Smile Train page but thus far, we’ve raked in about $2,300 and hopefully it will reach $2500.  Considering the state of the economy and that 99.9% of all comedians are poor, this is a hard-won victory for us. And for the kids. See you in 2012!

Grand Haven, MI –

Get your pots and pans ready and your stomachs growling.

The First Annual Michigan Adobo Cook Off for Smile Train is coming up in less than a month! Hosted by Matt and Luchi Nelson, all proceeds from the Adobo Cook Off will be donated to Smile Train to benefit children born with cleft lips and palates.

On August 27th, competitors will proudly showcase their culinary skills for the bragging rights that come with the title of Michigan’s Best Adobo chef. Lucky judges and attendees will be treated to amazing entries in both the classic style and modern creative twists to an old favorite.

Don’t know how to make the traditional Filipino dish? Check out the video below from Madeline Nelson and try your hand at a homemade delicacy:

While your Adobo is cooking, be sure to browse through these photos of lucky children who have been helped by Smile Train and remember that the proceeds of the Adobo Cook Off will be going to pay for free cleft surgery for others just like them.

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Tarma, Peru – Dr. Carlos Navarro and his team at CIRPLAST have provided over 2,000 Smile Train surgeries in the last decade. As one of our longest serving partner surgeons, Dr. Navarro prides himself on providing cleft lip and palate surgeries not only nearby his hospital, but in the hardest to reach areas in Peru so that all of the children in his country can smile.

A few years ago, after hearing of the desperate need of children in the city who do not have a cranio-facial surgeon of their own to turn to, Dr. Navarro and his staff traveled to Tarma to start offering their services free of charge. The team has traveled to Tarma numerous times to provide surgery and follow up care. Affectionately known as the Pearl of the Andes, Tarma is as breathtaking as it is unique. Nestled 10,000 feet above sea level, getting to Tarma is an adventure unto itself.

The central highways,  or Highway 20 as it is known, is really a very high road, because it goes up to 4818 meters at the highest crossing point on the central Andes Mountain range, before it starts going down on the other side of the slope. It goes through Oroya, where the American Doe Run mining company is working, and then divides into a road that goes to Jauja and Huancayo going south along the Mantaro River. The other road heads north and after a short stretch it divides into one going east to Trama, and eventually down to the Chanchamayo province, which is the so called jungle-eyebrow (ceja de selva), meaning that its geography is a mixture of mountains and jungle, with a climate that  is not quite as hot and humid as it is in the Amazon jungle, and is not quite as cold and dry as it is in the mountains; the other road goes northeast to Cerro de Pasco, a mining town. At 14,370 feet (4,650-4700m) elevation, it is one of the highest cities in Peru. It is a very steep and winding road all the way up to Ticlio, where it snows quite frequently all year around

- Dr. Navarro (Can you tell that he is also a retired professor?)

Recently, the team came back with many amazing tales of children and their families that they were able to help, but perhaps the most striking patient is Maria Hurtado. Maria was born with a cleft lip and for 70 long years, never knew it could even be corrected. Long ago, she had come to terms with never being seen as normal in her community and was almost hesitant to have it repaired as she had lived with it for so many years. With a little persistence, Dr. Navarro walked Maria into the OR and performed her surgery: imagine, waiting 70 years for a simple surgery. Over 25,550 days spent waiting for 1. Maria’s jubilation was seen as she participated in a local religious celebration even before her surgery was fully healed: you can be sure that for her, the celebration was even more meaningful as she was able to let go of 70 years of doubt, unwarranted shame, and even ostracization. Thank you to all of our partners and donors who provide so many new lives.

New York, NY - Grab your irons and bring out your madras pants because registration is now underway for Skyline Restoration’s 3rd Annual Golf Classic Benefiting Smile Train!

Last year’s Golf Classic raised over $40,000 – enough to cover over 160 free cleft lip and palate surgeries and this year Skyline Restoration is looking to raise even more!

This amazing event is teeing off at the Village Club of Sands Point on Monday, July 18 at 10:00 am for registration and brunch. A noon shotgun start keeps the flow steady on 18 great and often challenging holes.

Special guests include the stars of the hit Broadway show Baby It’s You: Geno Henderson, Barry Pearl, and Crystal Starr.

When your scorecard’s full, be sure to head to the Club House for cocktails and dinner and end the day with the awards ceremony and raffle. Local sponsors have already committed to some great raffle prizes, but we’re sure we can all agree that the best prize is the one you’ll be giving to the desperate children in our programs, free surgery and a second chance at life.

For the full details of the event  and to sign up, check out the Golf Classic registration page.

We’d like to extend our deepest thanks to everyone at Skyline Restoration for putting this all together and for their wonderful dedication and commitment to helping kids with cleft lip and palate.

The school year may be coming to a close, but thanks to the hard work, dedication, and support of thousands of school children, the lives of countless Smile Train patients are just beginning.

Throughout the school year, over 200 elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and colleges held special fundraisers to help provide desperate children with free cleft lip and palate surgery. Students all over the US, UK, and Europe found ways to show their support, creating smiles in their communities and Smile Train partner hospitals  a world away. Some students were either born with a cleft themselves or know someone else who was. They’ve participated in bake sales, talent shows, screenings of Smile Pinki, car washes, selling of wristbands , penny harvest collections and countless other activities selflessly devoting their time and energy to help kids in need in the poorest parts of the world.

I am so proud that a wee child can get a new smile that will last forever because everybody in my school brought in money for an operation.” Graham Taylor of Glasgow, Scotland

We’re just as proud of all of our school fundraisers and wish them the best as they prepare for the summer and the next steps in their lives.

On June 8, student representatives of participating schools in the New York City Project Boost program, run by CEI-PEA, braved the heat and gathered on the steps of City Hall to present a grand total of $17,000! Be sure to check out the short video highlight of the Project Boost Smile Train Presentation.

NYC Project Boost Schools Present Smile Train Donations from Smile Train on Vimeo.

On behalf of everyone here at Smile Train and all of our patients and their families, thank you to all of the schools and students that have worked so hard to give the gift of a smile.

Wake Forest, NC - Registration is well under way for the 4th Annual Smile Train Tri. This amazing event was started in 2008 by triathlete and race director Rebecca Warriner.

The “Miles For Smiles” triathlon is  a sprint triathlon: participants compete in a 250 meter swim, 12 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run throughout Wake Forest. With the generous support of BASF and other local sponsors, 100% of all of the race fees go directly to Smile Train. Adding in donations that many of the competitors make and collect through the Tri-and-Fundraise program, the Smile Train Tri has already accounted for over $83,000 in donations to provide free cleft lip and plate surgeries.

The race may be hard, but it’s not as hard as every day is for these parents and children who need our help.”
- Rebecca Warriner

With a new course, Rebecca and her team of volunteers have set the bar higher than ever for 2011, hoping to collect $17,500 in registration fees and $15,000 in seperate donations to bring their total to a whopping $115,500. That would be more than 460 cleft surgeries in 4 years!! In honor of this wonderful milestone, Nestle’s 100 Grand has donated their candy bars for the participants, volunteers, and spectators.

A very special thank you to Rebecca, and all of the sponsors, participants, and volunteers for helping us create so many smiles.

Sign up for the Smile Train Triathlon today!

The 4th Annual Smile Train Triathlon was an outstanding success!! Last weekend, over 400 competitors and hundreds of volunteers and spectators converged on Wake Forest, NC and raised more than $30,000 for Smile Train.

We’d like to extend our deepest thanks to everyone involved in the Smile Train Triathlon. Be sure to check out the slideshow below and share your stories from the event in the comments section.

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New York, NY – Criticaly acclaimed novelist Mary Doria Russell has established a $15,000 matching fund for donations to Smile Train in memory of Doc Holliday.

The subject of her novel, DOC, John Henry “Doc”  Holliday was born with a cleft palate, which was repaired by his uncle, Dr. John Stiles Holilday, in 1851. This was the first cleft palate surgery in North America. His devoted mother took it upon herself to teach him how to speak correctly and jump start his education on his way to becoming a dentist, and ultimately the legend that way know today.

In celebration of the release of her new novel through Random House, Mary Doria Russell has generously set up a matching gift fund for her readers to donate to Smile Train. Mary will match each the first $15,000 of donations made in Doc’s memory making it a total of $30,000: that’s 120 new smiles we can create!

Please make a donation in memory of Doc and help us provide surgeries to desperate children in over 75 countries. A small excerpt from this highly acclaimed novel is posted below and you can visit the official DOC website to read more and order your own copy. 

He began to die when he was twenty-one, but tuberculosis is slow and sly and subtle. The disease took fifteen years to hollow out his lungs so completely they could no longer keep him alive. In all that time, he was allowed a single season of something like happiness.

When he arrived in Dodge City in 1878, Dr. John Henry Holliday was a frail twenty-six-year-old dentist who wanted nothing grander than to practice his profession in a prosperous Kansas cow town. Hope – cruelest of the evils that escaped Pandora’s box – smiled on him gently all that summer. While he lived in Dodge, the quiet life he yearned for seemed to lie within his grasp.

At thirty, he would be famous for his part in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. A year later, he would become infamous when he rode at Wyatt Earp’s side to avenge the murder of Wyatt’s brother Morgan. The journalists of his day embellished slim fact with fat rumor and rank fiction; it was they who invented the iconic frontier gambler and gunman Doc Holliday. (Thin. Mustachioed. A cold and casual killer. Doomed, and always dressed in black, as though for his own funeral.) That unwanted notoriety added misery to John Henry’s final months, when illness and exile had made him a lonely and destitute alcoholic, dying by awful inches and living off charity in a Colorado hotel.

The wonder is how long and how well he fought that destiny.