Useful Links

The Smile Train
Suite 2201
245 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10016
www.smiletrain.org

The Smile Train is dedicated to helping the millions of children around the world suffering from cleft lip and palate. Launched in 1999, The Smile Train has a unique strategy of empowering local doctors and hospitals in developing countries to help children in their communities. This approach enables The Smile Train to provide cleft surgery that costs as little as $250 and takes as little as 45 minutes. Each year, in over 60 countries, The Smile Train provides free cleft surgery to children who would otherwise never receive it. The Smile Train receives no government support and instead relies on the support of generous individuals and organizations. 100% of all donations go towards programs, as all non-program expenses, such as overhead and fundraising, are paid for with start-up grants from our founding supporters.


AboutFace USA
PO Box 458
Crystal Lake, Illinois 60014
888-486-1209
www.aboutfaceusa.org

AboutFace USA is an international organization providing emotional support and information to individuals who have facial differences and their families. The goals of AboutFace are to increase public awareness as well as assist those with facial differences. AboutFace provides the training and support to volunteers in order to help set-up local AboutFace chapters.
Membership: 5000+
Resources: Videos, newsletters, and publications

American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association
ACPA/CPF National Office
104 South Estes Drive, Suite 204
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Phone: (919) 933-9044
Fax: (919) 933-9604
Toll Free: 1-800-24-cleft
www.cleftline.org

The American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association is an international non-profit association of over 2,500 health care professionals in over 40 countries who are involved in treatment and/or research of cleft lip, cleft palate and other craniofacial anomalies.
The Cleft Palate Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing information to parents of newborns with clefts and other craniofacial birth defects and to the health care professionals who deliver and treat these infants.
Call CLEFTLINE: 1-800-24-CLEFT — for immediate contact with the foundation.

Children's Craniofacial Association (CCA)
P.O. Box 280297
Dallas, TX 75228
1-800-535-3643
www.ccakids.com

CCA is dedicated to supporting the needs of craniofacial patients and their families through doctor referrals and non-medical patient assistance. The organization designs and manages retreats and education programs.

Resources: 1-800 Physician Referral service and emotional support line; workshops and symposiums; financial assistance; newsletters and other educational materials.
Other: Cher is honorary Chairperson

FACES: The National Craniofacial Association
744 McCallie Avenue
P.O. Box 11082
Chattanooga, TN 37401
1-800-332-2373
423-266-1632
Fax: 423-267-3124
Email: faces@mindspring.com

FACES is a non-profit organization serving children and adults with severe craniofacial deformities resulting from birth defects, injuries or disease. FACES provides financial assistance for non-medical expenses incurred for surgery; increases public awareness and understanding of craniofacial problems, and provides information about craniofacial centers across the country.
Membership: approx. 10,000
Resources: Newsletters, pamphlets, support networks, financial assistance

Forward Face
317 East 34th Street
New York, NY 10016
212-684-5864

The organization was formed in 1978 and is currently headquartered at the Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery at New York University Medical Center. It is a charity for children with craniofacial conditions and its primary goal is to help patients and their families find immediate support in order to cope with craniofacial disorders. Ongoing awareness programs and school presentations are integral elements in the education campaign.
Resources: Educational materials, quarterly newsletters, financial assistance, and workshops.

Fresh Start
351 Santa Fe Drive
Suite 210 Encinitas, CA 92024
(760)-944-7774
Email: Freshlk@aol.com

Fresh Start Surgical Gifts, Inc., is a nonprofit organization that provides reconstructive surgery to children who suffer from physical deformities caused by birth defects, accidents, abuse, or disease. All surgical and pre and post-operative care, including necessary pathology, radiology, anesthesiology, postoperative pain medication and antibiotics, follow-up examinations, and necessary follow-up surgery, are provided free of charge. Since its founding in 1991, Fresh Start has provided over $5,000,000 worth of medical treatment.
Fresh Start provides medical services to American and foreign children, with the goal to treat 50% American and 50% foreign children. Eligible children (aged 1 to 21) include: children of the working poor, individuals who "slip through the cracks" of the American Health Care system, children who do not qualify for or are unable to access care through state funded programs, and children whose families would suffer significant financial hardship if they were to pay for the necessary and costly medical treatment.

Shriners International Headquarters
2900 Rocky Point Dr.
Tampa, FL 33607-1460
1-800-237-5055

The Shriners Hospitals help children with orthopedic problems, burns, birth marks and cleft lip and palate. The Patients Referral Line and Information Center has information on hospitals in the area and the services they offer.

Wide Smiles
P.O. Box 5153
Stockton, CA 95205-0153
209-942-2812
www.widesmiles.org

The organization is a non-profit that provides information and a support network for parents of children with cleft lip and palate. The organization provides an impressively extensive resource list for parents, including information on guides to doctors and clinics, cleft lip and palate management, adopting children with cleft lip and palate.
Resources: Abundant publications; quarterly magazine; Cleft-Talk, an on-line exchange for parents and individuals; Cleft-teen, an on-line exchange targeted for adolescents.