Every 3 minutes a child is born with a cleft lip or cleft palate. Without surgical care, many of these kids will experience hunger, thirst, difficulty with speech and social stigma.
That’s where Operation Smile comes in, and we are excited to announce that we are kicking off our support of Operation Smile this week.
Missy’s husband, Rob, works for Johnson & Johnson which has partnered with Operation Smile for the last 25 years to donate medical supplies and funding to help transform the lives of these children and their families.
With Sawyer recently joining our family, our hearts are filled with love and gratitude. This charity really hit home with us personally, and we wanted to get involved. We are very grateful for what we have been given as well as the expert care available to us in this country so we decided we wanted to give back to those children and families less fortunate.
What’s Operation Smile?
Operation Smile is an international medical charity founded in 1982 and has since provided hundreds of thousands of free surgeries for children and young adults in developing countries who are born with cleft lip, cleft palate or other facial deformities. Founded and based in Virginia, Operation Smile has extended its global reach to more than 60 countries through its network of credentialed surgeons, pediatricians, doctors, nurses, and student volunteers. In 2015 alone, Operation Smile provided more than 15,000 surgeries to patients worldwide. (Check out http://www.operationsmile.org to learn more)
A child’s cleft lip or cleft palate can be repaired for as little as $240 and in as few as 45 minutes so a little good can go a long way. Your gift is more than a surgery though, as you can help give renewed hope to children and families around the world.
What Does This Mean at Edge Body?
Well, we are definitely going to be creating some efforts around fundraising. We’ve donated personally and hope others will consider such as well but no pressure whatsoever. If willing, a donation of any size can help make an impact and it would be great if you could help spread the word to your friends, family and workplaces.
To make a tax-deductible donation by credit card, simply click the “Donate Now“ button at the link below. It’s under Rob’s name as we’re participating under Johnson & Johnson’s annual employee fundraising campaign. Be sure to print off your donation receipt for your tax records!
http://support.operationsmile.org/site/TR/Development/DonationPages?px=2484258&pg=personal&fr_id=2250
You may be able to double your donation if your company participates in a matching program so please remember to submit your matching gift request. Whatever you can give will help — it all adds up. We greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on our progress.
Missy will also be creating a workout honoring Operation Smile this week, and we are in the planning stages for a special workout event in July that will be open to the community. If successful, we will likely host another event later in the year. We may also be partnering with some other businesses on these events so if your company is interested in supporting a great charity, talk to Missy. Stay tuned as those details are forthcoming.
Help us bring hope and new smiles to children suffering from facial deformities by supporting our fundraising efforts.
Thanks for the love and support,
Rob, Missy & Team EBBC
