As a team here at Good Samaritan Awards, we love to highlight organizations that are doing more than just good they are doing something unforgettable. Smile Train is one of those groups. Since 1999, they have been changing lives in a truly powerful way. By giving children born with cleft lips and palates the chance to smile, speak, eat, and live without fear, Smile Train has created a global movement filled with hope and healing.
How a Simple Idea Grew into a Global Mission
It all started with the vision of Charles B. Wang, who believed that every child deserves a healthy, confident smile. From that simple but strong idea, Smile Train has grown into the world’s largest cleft-focused organization. What makes them so special is how they combine medical care, technology, and community support to make a lasting difference.
In 2001, they launched Smile Train Express, a digital system that became the biggest cleft case database in the world. This tool helped doctors track patient care and share data to improve surgeries across the globe. It changed the game for cleft care.
Smile Train did not stop there. In 2015, they released a free app in Spanish called Speech Games and Practice, giving kids access to speech therapy activities no matter where they live. And in 2023, they hit a huge milestone: their two millionth and two million and first cleft surgeries were performed on a father and son, Alim and Rajib, in a village in Indonesia. That same year, they even set a world record for the largest online album of mouths, gathering more than 21,000 smiles.
More Than Just Surgery
What we really love about Smile Train is that they know their work does not end in the operating room. A cleft surgery is just the beginning of a lifelong journey. That is why Smile Train also funds speech therapy, nutrition programs, and emotional support for children and their families.
Their video series, “It Starts with a Smile,” tells powerful stories of kids who received cleft care and went on to chase their dreams. These are kids who were once shy or scared to go to school, but now they are studying, working, and making a difference in their own communities.
This is what makes Smile Train so deserving of recognition. They do not just treat a condition, they give children back their voices, their confidence, and their futures. And they do it in a way that empowers local doctors and builds stronger health systems around the world.
At Good Samaritan Awards, we are proud to recognize Smile Train for their compassion, dedication, and life changing work. If you want to be a part of something truly meaningful, consider donating. Every gift brings a child closer to a life full of smiles. And every smile counts.