Dear Family and Friends,

I am thrilled to fundraise for Operation Smile Canada to ensure children around the world affected by cleft lip, cleft palate, and other facial differences get access to the medical care they need and deserve. As someone born with severe bilateral cleft lip and palate, I was so lucky to be born in Canada, receive 13 safe, effective, timely surgeries in my first 15 years. Not all familes are this lucky. Even if they know what treatment is available for their children, they face many barriers to access that care. However Operation Smile believes it shouldn't matter where in the world you are born, you should have the same access to treatment. 

Globally, a baby is born with cleft lip and/or cleft palate every 3 minutes launching the family into a world of uncertainty and fear. When left untreated, cleft lip and palate can lead to serious health issues, hardships and social isolation, and without surgery as many as 90% of children born with cleft conditions will not see their 20th birthday. 

Operation Smile mobilizes a world of generous hearts to heal children’s smiles and transform lives across the globe. With help from donors, medical volunteers and corporate partners, Operation Smile Canada transforms lives with surgeries that can take as little as 45 minutes and cost as little as $240. We can do this in part because Operation Smile's network of selfless medical professionals volunteer, travelling to remote locations, working tirelessly during their vacations.

To celebrate my new position, I launched my campaign early as I know together we can create momentum and change lives. Our goal is ambitious... to deliver 2020 new smiles @ $240 each for a total of $484,800 raised by the Longest Day of Smiles (June 20, 2020)!

Thank you to those who helped me reach my initial goal. Now I've increased it to personally raise $9,600 to cover 40 surgeries. That's 40 children and families who will be able to stand taller, smile brighter and go to school without fear of bullying, so they can focus on learning! I know with your help we can do this!!! 

Thank you in advance. Your kindness will bring hope and deliver smiles across the miles, and what's better than spreading smiles, the universal sign of happiness! Together, we will visibly change lives!
     

    Thank you, Hilary

p.s. We are recruiting clubs, teams, businesses, schools, you name it, to join the Longest Day of Smiles movement and raise funds and awareness in loads of creative ways. Please email me at hilary.evans@operationsmile.org to discuss how you and your gang can create even more momentum for the children we serve!!!

p.p.s. I'd love you to join my team and share more smiles!!!