![Cleft Awareness Month 2021 #cleftproud](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-07/cleft-awareness-month-cleft-proud-2021.jpg?itok=buw1bbZh)
What My Cleft Taught Me
In honor of Cleft Awareness Month 2021, Smile Train's Cleft Community Advisory Council presents real-life stories of growing up with a cleft or being the mom to a child with a cleft from people who have been there.
![Sharvi and Shaivi at Smile Train offices in Dubai](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-06/heartmade-smile-office.jpg?itok=_nMQrnWa)
An Interview with Youth Ambassadors Sharvi and Shaivi
Their Walk for Smiles Fundraiser recently raised an incredible $16,000+ for Smile Train and we wanted to know more about the key to their success.
![St. Joseph College students](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-06/st-joe-smile-impact-society-on-stoop.jpg?itok=SQ1LGFNK)
St. Joseph’s College Students Go the Extra Mile for Smiles
One more way Smile Impact Society students turn their passions into smiles.
![Students for Smiles logo](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-05/cla-state-fullerton-students-for-smiles-logo.jpg?itok=YQZTZDYl)
California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) Students Turn Crisis into Smiles
How one chapter of Smile Train’s Smile Impact Society made 2020 its most lucrative year yet.
![Iva as a girl before cleft surgery and now.](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-05/iva-ballou-og.jpg?itok=Qc0JOgaA)
How Iva Found Joy in Her Cleft
![Mathias Kiwanuka visits a child in Uganda wearing a New York Giants hat.](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-04/mathias-kiwanuka-in-uganda-with-child-in-bed-ny-giants-hat-cleft-surgery.jpg?itok=Dxia187H)
Super Bowl Champion, Activist, Smile Maker: An Interview with our Newest Board Member
Mathias Kiwanuka knows the true meaning of greatness.
![Smile Train fundraiser crosses finish line](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/virtual-marathons-finish-line.jpg?itok=4E2dfphw)
Virtual Marathons, Real Lives Saved
When endurance events got canceled around the world, these Smile Train supporters ran anyway.
![Hema on red carpet with Smile Train YLC backdrop](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/hema-with-ylc-red-carpet.jpg?itok=Bw7jYDrP)
Why Hema Smiles No Matter What
When Hema was 12 years old, she learned that not everyone born with a cleft received the care she did. She decided right then to change that.
![Ride for Smile Train logo](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-03/ride-for-smile-train-home-edition.jpg?itok=T2MvUtlc)
Ride for Smile Train: Home Edition Passes Every Marker for Success
410 riders in 19 countries raise $66,000+ for life-changing cleft treatment.
![Smile Train CleftCon 2020](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-03/cleftcon-smile-train-2020.jpg?itok=dP2ES-Wq)
Cleft Con Unites #Cleftstrong Community in Pride and Power
"There's power in my cleft."
![Jessi holds her daughter Brennan](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/jessi-holds-daughter.jpg?itok=xRNo7bbM)
“It is a Journey”: In Conversation with the Mom of a Child With a Cleft
Clefts are not just "fixable."