Elana Colangelo YLC Board Member

27 years ago I was born with a cleft lip and palate. In July 2022, I received my seventh (!!) surgery for my cleft lip and palate.

While I am fortunate to have had two of the best surgeons in the world operate on me several times over the past two and a half decades, hundreds of thousands of children around the world don't have access to lifesaving cleft treatment.

I am on the Smile Train Young Leadership Circle Board to help provide smiles to children in need. Smile Train is an international children’s charity with a sustainable approach to a single, solvable problem: cleft lip and palate.

Many children with clefts around the world live in isolation, but more importantly, have difficulty eating, breathing, hearing, and speaking. Smile Train's sustainable model provides training, funding, and resources to empower local doctors in 70+ countries to provide lifesaving surgeries and other essential cleft care to their neighbors in need, 100% free. 

Thank you for supporting my fundraiser with Smile Train – together we can change the world one smile at a time!