The Smile Train
Encyclopedia
Smile Train is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization based in New York City
with the mission of providing free corrective surgery for children with cleft lip and palate in about 80 developing countries. Founded in 1999, Smile Train focuses on providing free cleft-related training for doctors and medical professionals. By March 2008, Smile Train had facilitated more than 280,000 cleft surgeries in 74 countries, raising $84 million with a staff of 30 people.
By 2011, it had assisted over 650,000 children.
In early 2011, Smile Train and Operation Smile
announced the two charities would merge, followed three weeks later by announcements the merger had been aborted, Smile Train having canceled the union. Smile Train's board also named Priscilla Ma the executive director
of the organization, while other board members and directors stepped down.
Smile Train uses technology including surgery-training software and grading of operations via digital imaging to increase efficiency. Co-founder Brian Mullaney suggested in 2005 that Smile Train is close to performing a greater number of operations each year than the number of children born each year in developing countries with cleft deformities.
cleft surgery organization in Norfolk, Virginia. Later, Mullaney's project and Operation Smile merged, with Mullaney also bringing prominent donor Charles B. Wang. Mullaney started a model within Operation Smile to train doctors and health professionals locally in developing countries where surgery would be performed, paying them directly. In the fall of 1998, Mullaney and Wang split from Operation Smile and co-founded Smile Train in New York in 1999.
was the first country in which Smile Train operated, having split off from Operation Smile. The relationship between the would-be organization and China began when Mullaney and Wang worked with then U.S. and Chinese presidents George H. W. Bush
and Jiang Zemin
to gain access for training local surgeons and supporting hospitals in some of that country’s poorest regions. According to its Ministry of Health, China documents 2.4 million children with cleft palates, and about 25,000 additional babies born with the ailment each year. In recognition of Smile Train's work in China, Mullaney was awarded the Soong Ching-ling
Camphor Tree honorary award.
In 2000, Smile Train formed a partnership with Russian Children's Welfare Society (RCWS) to provide surgeries to disadvantaged children in Russia. In 2008, Smile Train formed a partnership with DFS Group (a travel retailer) and The Moodie Report, a business service for the travel retail industry.
The organization supports financially and participates in various symposiums that educate and train doctors and medical professionals by the hundreds, focusing on recent innovations in cleft palate surgery techniques. For example, Smile Train sponsored the Pan African Congress on Cleft Lip and Palate in 2006 and in 2009, as well as the 2008 Pan African Anaesthesia Symposium.
Also in 2008, Smile Train was the runner-up in the Health-Care IT category of the Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Awards. The recognition was for training videos that presented advanced cleft surgery techniques demonstrated by experts, to doctors stationed in remote, impoverished areas of the world. The DVD
s were produced in English, Spanish, and Mandarin language versions.
In India
, the annual incidence of cleft in newborns is over 32,000 cases. Since it has been working in India, Smile Train’s program there has helped approximately 200,000 children. However, the need remains great in India, where over one million children still await surgery, and currently only half of children born with cleft ever get the care they need. Smile Train partnered with Bollywood
actress and former Miss World
Aishwarya Rai
, for her to serve as an ambassador, increasing awareness and garnering financial support to help the plight of children born with cleft. Her work with Smile Train will focus not only on India, but on 76 different developing countries around the world.
(2008
) was a documentary
, produced by Smile Train and directed by Megan Mylan
. The film shows the story of a poor girl in rural India
whose life is transformed when she receives free surgery to correct her cleft lip. The documentary was made in Hindi
and Bhojpuri
, and won the 81st Academy Award
for Best Documentary (Short Subject). The film's protagonist, Pinki Sonkar, rose from obscurity and shame in Mirzapur
to international fame and the Hollywood red carpet because of the publicity that the Oscar-winning film received. By the time Bill Maher
announced that Smile Pinki won the Oscar, Pinki had fallen asleep in her father’s arms. The doctor who performed the surgery, Dr. Subodh Singh, said that the Oscar honor should bring worldwide attention to children with cleft lip and palate. When news of the win reached Sonkar's village Dabai in the Mirzapur district, a huge procession of over 500 people took to the streets to celebrate the win.
Advertising, served as Senior Vice President, Creative Director at J. Walter Thompson and Vice President,
Creative Director at Young & Rubicam. Mullaney earned a bachelor's degree in
business economics from Harvard University
. He lives on Long Island, New York with his wife Cricket and his children Maura, Charlie and Quinn.
Charles B. Wang co-founded Computer Associates International with Russ Artz (CA became the first software company to exceed $1 billion USD in sales.) Wang merged his technological talent with his philanthropic efforts, aiding in the development of the Smile Train Virtual Surgery Lab and the Smile Train Express.
, the organization Brian Mullaney had split from in 1998 in what Mullaney described as a "messy divorce."
In the ad, Mullaney contended Operation Smile was refusing money that could benefit children, later calling the situation "shameful"; Mullaney also noted that he respects that in some countries need overwhelms available doctors and he had "a newfound respect for what Operation Smile does." The Virginian Pilot outlined the history and differences between the two organizations and indicated Mullaney wanted the two organizations to reconcile..
Dr. Magee of Operation Smile declined a newspaper interview. His organization responded to the ad campaign, saying the two organizations "have different operating philosophies and business ethics," and that Operation Smile would continue foregoing donations from an "unproductive relationship."
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with the mission of providing free corrective surgery for children with cleft lip and palate in about 80 developing countries. Founded in 1999, Smile Train focuses on providing free cleft-related training for doctors and medical professionals. By March 2008, Smile Train had facilitated more than 280,000 cleft surgeries in 74 countries, raising $84 million with a staff of 30 people.
By 2011, it had assisted over 650,000 children.
In early 2011, Smile Train and Operation Smile
Operation Smile
Operation Smile is a not-for-profit medical service organization based in Norfolk, Virginia , founded in 1982. A secular NGO, the children's medical charity provides cleft lip and palate repair surgeries to children worldwide, assists countries in reaching self-sufficiency with these surgeries, and...
announced the two charities would merge, followed three weeks later by announcements the merger had been aborted, Smile Train having canceled the union. Smile Train's board also named Priscilla Ma the executive director
Executive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
of the organization, while other board members and directors stepped down.
Smile Train uses technology including surgery-training software and grading of operations via digital imaging to increase efficiency. Co-founder Brian Mullaney suggested in 2005 that Smile Train is close to performing a greater number of operations each year than the number of children born each year in developing countries with cleft deformities.
History
Before Smile Train, Mullaney handled advertising accounts for cosmetic surgeons. He happened to see children on the subway who could use the help of the New York City surgeons he represented. In 1991, he began a pilot program that offered free surgeries to city children, the scope of which eventually grew to include the entire metropolitan school district. Surgeons who had been clients of his agency donated time and skills, while Mullaney raised funds to cover the operating expenses. In this arrangement, surgeons donated their services, and Mullaney raised money for expenses. Mullaney called the project Operation Smile, subsequently learning of the prior existence of the Operation SmileOperation Smile
Operation Smile is a not-for-profit medical service organization based in Norfolk, Virginia , founded in 1982. A secular NGO, the children's medical charity provides cleft lip and palate repair surgeries to children worldwide, assists countries in reaching self-sufficiency with these surgeries, and...
cleft surgery organization in Norfolk, Virginia. Later, Mullaney's project and Operation Smile merged, with Mullaney also bringing prominent donor Charles B. Wang. Mullaney started a model within Operation Smile to train doctors and health professionals locally in developing countries where surgery would be performed, paying them directly. In the fall of 1998, Mullaney and Wang split from Operation Smile and co-founded Smile Train in New York in 1999.
Partnerships
Smile Train has formed partnerships with 1,100 hospitals in 76 countries, many of which are among the world’s poorest nations, and through these local partnerships, the organization is able to provide free surgery for children, any day of the year.Activity in developing countries
ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
was the first country in which Smile Train operated, having split off from Operation Smile. The relationship between the would-be organization and China began when Mullaney and Wang worked with then U.S. and Chinese presidents George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
and Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin is a former Chinese politician, who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989 to 2002, as President of the People's Republic of China from 1993 to 2003, and as Chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2005...
to gain access for training local surgeons and supporting hospitals in some of that country’s poorest regions. According to its Ministry of Health, China documents 2.4 million children with cleft palates, and about 25,000 additional babies born with the ailment each year. In recognition of Smile Train's work in China, Mullaney was awarded the Soong Ching-ling
Soong Ching-ling
Soong Ching-ling , also known as Madame Sun Yat-sen, was one of the three Soong sisters—who, along with their husbands, were amongst China's most significant political figures of the early 20th century. She was the Vice Chairman of the People's Republic of China...
Camphor Tree honorary award.
In 2000, Smile Train formed a partnership with Russian Children's Welfare Society (RCWS) to provide surgeries to disadvantaged children in Russia. In 2008, Smile Train formed a partnership with DFS Group (a travel retailer) and The Moodie Report, a business service for the travel retail industry.
The organization supports financially and participates in various symposiums that educate and train doctors and medical professionals by the hundreds, focusing on recent innovations in cleft palate surgery techniques. For example, Smile Train sponsored the Pan African Congress on Cleft Lip and Palate in 2006 and in 2009, as well as the 2008 Pan African Anaesthesia Symposium.
Also in 2008, Smile Train was the runner-up in the Health-Care IT category of the Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Awards. The recognition was for training videos that presented advanced cleft surgery techniques demonstrated by experts, to doctors stationed in remote, impoverished areas of the world. The DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s were produced in English, Spanish, and Mandarin language versions.
In India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the annual incidence of cleft in newborns is over 32,000 cases. Since it has been working in India, Smile Train’s program there has helped approximately 200,000 children. However, the need remains great in India, where over one million children still await surgery, and currently only half of children born with cleft ever get the care they need. Smile Train partnered with Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
actress and former Miss World
Miss World 1994
Miss World 1994 was the 44th Miss World pageant and marked the third consecutive staging of Miss World in Sun City, South Africa. Actor Blair Underwood and supermodel Naomi Campbell served as presenters. The pageant attracted 87 contestants from around the world...
Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian film actress. She worked as a model before starting her acting career, and ultimately won the Miss World pageant in 1994...
, for her to serve as an ambassador, increasing awareness and garnering financial support to help the plight of children born with cleft. Her work with Smile Train will focus not only on India, but on 76 different developing countries around the world.
Supporters
The following celebrities and notable leaders have pledged varying forms of support for Smile Train:- Helena Bonham CarterHelena Bonham CarterHelena Bonham Carter is an English actress of film, stage, and television. She made her acting debut in a television adaptation of K. M. Peyton's A Pattern of Roses before winning her first film role as the titular character in Lady Jane...
- Christie BrinkleyChristie BrinkleyChristie Brinkley is an American model and actress best known for her three consecutive appearances on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in the late 1970s and early 1980s, for her long-running contract with CoverGirl, the longest ever of any model in history, and for her marriage...
- Stephen ColbertStephen ColbertStephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
- Kevin ConnollyKevin ConnollyKevin Connolly is an American actor and director. He is best known for his role on the HBO series Entourage as Eric Murphy and his role as the eldest son Ryan Malloy in the 1990s television sitcom Unhappily Ever After....
- Walter CronkiteWalter CronkiteWalter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
- Jane KaczmarekJane KaczmarekJane Frances Kaczmarek is an American actress. She is best known for playing the character of Lois on the television series Malcolm in the Middle. Kaczmarek is a three-time Golden Globe and seven-time Emmy Award nominee...
- Colin PowellColin PowellColin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
- Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
- Hilary SwankHilary SwankHilary Ann Swank is an American actress. Swank's film career began with a small part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and then a major part in The Next Karate Kid , as Julie Pierce, the first female protégé of sensei Mr. Miyagi...
- Robin WilliamsRobin WilliamsRobin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
- APJ Abdul Kalam
Documentary
Smile PinkiSmile Pinki
Smile Pinki is a 39-minute documentary directed by Megan Mylan. The film shows the story of a poor girl in rural India whose life is transformed when she receives free surgery to correct her cleft lip...
(2008
2008 in film
This is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
) was a documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, produced by Smile Train and directed by Megan Mylan
Megan Mylan
Megan Mylan is an American documentary film director, known for her films Lost Boys of Sudan and the 2008 Academy Award-winning Smile Pinki....
. The film shows the story of a poor girl in rural India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
whose life is transformed when she receives free surgery to correct her cleft lip. The documentary was made in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and Bhojpuri
Bhojpuri language
Bhojpuri is a language spoken in parts of north-central and eastern India. It is spoken in the western part of state of Bihar, the northwestern part of Jharkhand, and the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh , as well as adjoining parts of the Nepal Terai. Bhojpuri is also spoken in Guyana,...
, and won the 81st Academy Award
81st Academy Awards
The 81st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2008 and took place February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST...
for Best Documentary (Short Subject). The film's protagonist, Pinki Sonkar, rose from obscurity and shame in Mirzapur
Mirzapur
Mirzapur is a city in the heart of North India, nearly 650 km between Delhi and Kolkata and also equidistant from Allahabad and Varanasi. Located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Mirzapur has a population of a little over 205,264 and is renowned for its famous carpet and brassware industry...
to international fame and the Hollywood red carpet because of the publicity that the Oscar-winning film received. By the time Bill Maher
Bill Maher
William "Bill" Maher, Jr. is an American stand-up comedian, television host, political commentator, author and actor. Before his current role as the host of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher hosted a similar late-night talk show called Politically Incorrect originally on Comedy Central and...
announced that Smile Pinki won the Oscar, Pinki had fallen asleep in her father’s arms. The doctor who performed the surgery, Dr. Subodh Singh, said that the Oscar honor should bring worldwide attention to children with cleft lip and palate. When news of the win reached Sonkar's village Dabai in the Mirzapur district, a huge procession of over 500 people took to the streets to celebrate the win.
Co-founders
Brian Mullaney worked in advertising for more than 20 years, founded Schell/MullaneyAdvertising, served as Senior Vice President, Creative Director at J. Walter Thompson and Vice President,
Creative Director at Young & Rubicam. Mullaney earned a bachelor's degree in
business economics from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He lives on Long Island, New York with his wife Cricket and his children Maura, Charlie and Quinn.
Charles B. Wang co-founded Computer Associates International with Russ Artz (CA became the first software company to exceed $1 billion USD in sales.) Wang merged his technological talent with his philanthropic efforts, aiding in the development of the Smile Train Virtual Surgery Lab and the Smile Train Express.
Board of directors
- Mark Edward Atkinson, Creative Director, Otto Studios
- Robert T. Bell, Executive Director, Charles B. Wang Foundation
- Arthur J. McCarthy, Chief Financial Officer, NeuLion
- Brian F. Mullaney, Co-founder, Smile Train
- Roy E. Reichbach, General Counsel, NeuLion
- Susannah Schaefer, New York IslandersNew York IslandersThe New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
- Robert K. Smits, Counsel, SalansSalansSalans is an international, full-service law firm operating from 22 offices across 17 countries.-Profile:With 22 offices located in the world’s main commercial centres and emerging markets, Salans’ lawyers advise on complex transactions using a combination of local and international expertise...
- Charles B. Wang, Co-founder and Chairman, Smile Train
- Donald B. Murphy, Partner, Brown Brothers Harriman & Company
Financials
- In a New York Times article, economist Steven LevittSteven LevittSteven David "Steve" Levitt is an American economist known for his work in the field of crime, in particular on the link between legalized abortion and crime rates. Winner of the 2004 John Bates Clark Medal, he is currently the William B...
indicated that the organization's model and its technological innovations "likely make Smile Train one of most productive charities, dollar for deed, in the world."
- According to Smile Train’s 2008 990 IRS report, available at charity evaluator GuidestarGuideStarGuideStar USA, Inc. is an information service specializing in reporting on U.S. nonprofit companies. In 2010, their database contained over 5 million IRS Forms 990 filings on 1.9 million organizations.....
, management and general expenses are less than 1% of total expenses.
- The Smile Train complies with all the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability established by the BBB (Better Business Bureau) Wise Giving Alliance. These standards were developed to assist donors in making sound giving decisions based on how Smile Train is governed, how Smile Train spends its money, the truthfulness of Smile Train’s representations and Smile Train’s willingness to disclose information to the public.
- The American Institute of Philanthropy has criticized the organization for the high salary of its co-founder and former president, Brian Mullaney, and its inconsistent claim that nearly all of the donations received by the charity go to charitable programs and not to operations and overhead.
- In 2009, Intelligent Giving, an independent charity rating organization, indicated Smile Train's annual report lacked transparency, the organization's claim of "less than one per cent overhead" figure is inaccurate, and that the organization's claim that it is "hyper-efficient" cannot be verified.
- According to the Smile Train's financials page, 82.2% of budget goes toward program services, with less than 17% going to fundraising. The organization's 2010 Form 990 (fiscal year ending June 2010) indicated revenues of $105.7 million, while total expenses were $86.3 million, of which program expenses were $67.3 million. Some $18 million was marked for fundraising expenses.
Richmond Times
In 2009, Smile Train initiated an advertising campaign in the Richmond Times highlighting Smile Train's attempts between 2006 and 2009 to donate nearly $9 million to Operation SmileOperation Smile
Operation Smile is a not-for-profit medical service organization based in Norfolk, Virginia , founded in 1982. A secular NGO, the children's medical charity provides cleft lip and palate repair surgeries to children worldwide, assists countries in reaching self-sufficiency with these surgeries, and...
, the organization Brian Mullaney had split from in 1998 in what Mullaney described as a "messy divorce."
In the ad, Mullaney contended Operation Smile was refusing money that could benefit children, later calling the situation "shameful"; Mullaney also noted that he respects that in some countries need overwhelms available doctors and he had "a newfound respect for what Operation Smile does." The Virginian Pilot outlined the history and differences between the two organizations and indicated Mullaney wanted the two organizations to reconcile..
Dr. Magee of Operation Smile declined a newspaper interview. His organization responded to the ad campaign, saying the two organizations "have different operating philosophies and business ethics," and that Operation Smile would continue foregoing donations from an "unproductive relationship."
See also
- Smile PinkiSmile PinkiSmile Pinki is a 39-minute documentary directed by Megan Mylan. The film shows the story of a poor girl in rural India whose life is transformed when she receives free surgery to correct her cleft lip...
- List of non-governmental organizations in the People's Republic of China
- Cleft lip and palate organisationsCleft lip and palate organisations- Africa :* UK-based charity that helps children with facial disfigurements in Ethiopia* South African-based charity that helps children with cleft lips, cleft palates and facial disfigurements in Africa-Australia:...