![Cleft Con logo](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-11/cleft-con-smile-train-title-50.jpg?itok=E3NdJBHs)
At Cleft Con 2021, Vulnerability is Strength
“It's amazing what your cleft journey will do to your life when you embrace it.”
![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.
![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
![Daniel in first grade, after receiving cleft surgery in America.](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-04/jasmine-c-50-50.jpg?itok=8zvVnM9Z)
Why My Son Says He Always Wanted a Cleft
How Jasmine went from fear and self-doubt upon receiving the news that her baby would have a cleft to raising a six-year-old who is #CleftProud.
![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.
![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."
![Tom Ragland Smile Train supporter](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/tom-ragland-smile-train.jpg?itok=7RRcdMMM)
Tom Ragland: “Every Child Deserves the Right to Smile.”
"Be strong. Work hard. Love one another."
![Homer Scoville Smile Train supporter](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-02/homer-scoville-smile-train-supporter.jpg?itok=vuQ6m0sw)
Homer Scoville’s Legacy of Successes and Smiles
While Homer succeeded in three challenging careers, he was most proud of the smiles he made along the way.