NEW YORK, Dec. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of
Giving Tuesday, Smile Train, the world's largest cleft charity,
today will illuminate New York
City's Empire State Building in its signature red and blue
colors — the latest in a series of initiatives designed to generate
awareness and funds to support children with cleft lip and
palate around the world.
Experience the interactive Multimedia News Release here:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7687051-smile-train-giving-tuesday-empire-state/
American Supermodel and Smile Train Goodwill Ambassador,
Christie Brinkley, together with
Smile Train's Founder and Chairman, Charles
B. Wang, will kick-off the ceremony with brief opening
remarks, followed by the flipping of the ceremonial switch.
"We are thrilled to join with our great supporter, Christie Brinkley today in lighting New York City's iconic Empire State Building,"
said Charles B. Wang, Founder and
Chairman, Smile Train. "On this important day of global giving, we
hope to generate awareness – here in New
York and around the world – of the issues faced by children
living with unrepaired clefts."
"I am honored to be representing Smile Train at this special
lighting ceremony — the culmination of many wonderful years
supporting the organization and the tremendous work they do each
day," said Brinkley. "Cleft repair surgery costs as little as
$250, and the impact is life-changing
for children, families and entire communities across the
globe."
To ring in the 2015 holiday giving season, Smile Train recently
launched its "Give a Smile, Get a Smile" campaign to help give
smiles to children with clefts and, in exchange, help supporters
get smiles of their own. Smile Train aims to raise enough funds to
create 250 new smiles for children in need by December 31, 2015.
"Through our 'Give a Smile, Get a Smile' campaign and other
holiday initiatives, we hope to mobilize supporters, new and old,
to add smiles to our 'Smile Jar' and help transform a life in the
process," said Susannah Schaefer,
CEO, Smile Train. "Cleft is far more than cosmetic — it impairs
eating, breathing and speaking, leads to social isolation and
prevents children from fully participating in their communities.
Through a simple surgery, children receive much more than a new
smile but a fresh opportunity at a full and productive life."
New Yorkers are invited to share their photos of the Empire
State Building illuminated in Smile Train's signature red and blue
colors on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using
#EmpireStateBuilding, #GivingTuesday, #GiveSmiles @SmileTrain to
ignite the global conversation about cleft lip and palate; and to
encourage people to make donations this holiday season.
Today, to amplify support for Smile Train's cause, Christie Brinkley is launching The Holiday Smile
Kit — a limited edition holiday skincare set and special offering
from the Christie Brinkley Authentic Skincare line. For each set
sold during the month of December, $50 will be donated to Smile Train in support of
its goal to share new smiles across the world. The three-piece set
includes the Recapture 360 + IR Defense Anti-Aging Day Cream,
Complete Clarity Facial Cleansing Wash and Complete Clarity Daily
Facial Exfoliating Polish. The kit will be sold exclusively on
ChristieBrinkleyAuthenticSkincare.com for $79.
"The Holiday Smile Kit empowers consumers to invest in the gift
of healthy skin this season while simultaneously helping to change
the life of a child in need," said Brinkley. "I look forward
to seeing how many new smiles this special initiative helps create
across the world."
About Smile Train
Smile Train is an international
children's charity with a sustainable approach to a single,
solvable problem: cleft lip and palate. Millions of children in
developing countries with unrepaired clefts live in shame, but more
importantly, have difficulty eating, breathing and speaking. Cleft
repair surgery is simple, and the transformation is immediate.
Smile Train's sustainable model provides training and funding to
empower local doctors in 85+ developing countries to provide
100%-free cleft repair surgery in their own communities. To learn
more about how Smile Train's sustainable approach means donations
have both an immediate and long-term impact, please visit
smiletrain.org.
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SOURCE Smile Train