On World Smile Day, Operation Smile celebrates 40 years of spreading smiles. Dedicated medical professionals from all over the world volunteer their time to spread kindness and smiles to patients living in countries of need alongside this incredible organization.

A major obstacle that Operation Smile medical volunteers encounter when treating patients in low- and middle- income countries is the malnutrition of infants with cleft conditions. When breastfeeding is the primary option to feed a child, the aid of a nutritional expert is often necessary to ensure the child’s survival and/or adequate health prior to surgery.

Align’s continued investment in Operation Smile and the International Student Leadership Conference reflects the companies’ shared commitment of improving the lives of young people through education and leadership opportunities.

From July through September 2022, Veronica Beard proudly partners with Operation Smile to support its mission of providing patients with lasting health through life-saving cleft surgeries and comprehensive care, helping them to better breathe, eat, speak and live lives of greater quality and confidence.

Operation Smile won 12 Telly Awards this year at the 43rd Annual Telly Awards on May 24, 2022. This year’s competition received over 11,000 entries from a variety of organizations and top-tier brands across the globe. The Telly Awards honors excellence in video and television content across all screens in a variety of categories.

May is National Nurses Month, a time to recognize the dedication and hard work exemplified by outstanding nurses all over the country. As one of the world’s largest medical volunteer-based nonprofits, Operation Smile’s volunteer nurses make up over 70% of the organization’s more than 6,000 medical volunteers.

In honor of National Volunteer Month, Operation Smile is recognizing the tremendous volunteers who dedicate their time and skills to improving the lives of children in developing counties. As one of the largest global surgical nonprofits, Operation Smile would not exist without the hard work and commitment of volunteers and it is imperative that they get the acknowledgement and praise they deserve.

Through a gift of $1 million from late donor and local humanitarian, Anthony L. Burgess, Operation Smile has been provided with the means to create the Anthony L. and Hideko S. Burgess Interactive Learning Center (ILC) at its global headquarters in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

To gain insights into the causes of cleft conditions, global surgical nonprofit Operation Smile has teamed up with the University of Southern California and Children's Hospital Los Angeles to construct the International Family Study (IFS).