Smile for a Lifetime Joins Forces with #GivingTuesday to Gift Smiles to Children In Need

The Smile for a Lifetime (S4L) Foundation has joined #GivingTuesday, a first of its kind effort that will harness the collective power of a unique blend of partners—charities, families, businesses and individuals—to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season

Coinciding with the Thanksgiving Holiday and the kickoff of the holiday shopping season, #GivingTuesday will inspire people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they support and help create a better world.

Taking place December 2, 2014 – the Tuesday after Thanksgiving – #GivingTuesday will harness the power of social media to create a national moment around the holidays dedicated to giving, similar to how Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become days that are,today, synonymous with holiday shopping.

S4L has joined efforts with #GivingTuesday to provide donors, sponsors and supporters an opportunity to "gift a smile" to children in need of orthodontics who normally would not be able to afford them. "We change lives through the gift of a smile" ---Michelle Von Fange, National Executive Director S4L.

Many children across North America are bullied, made fun of or teased because of their smile. Smile for a Lifetime chapter doctors provide free braces to kids who can't afford them through orthodontic scholarships. With over 165 chapters across North America, S4L hopes to serve over 1000 children in 2015. To date, S4L chapters have given away over 17 million in donated services to over 3000 young people in it's five years of existence. S4L's mission is to..."create self-confidence, inspire hope and change the lives of children in a dramatic way through the gift of a smile..."

Seeing an opportunity to channel the generous spirit of the holiday season to inspire action around charitable giving, a group of friends and partners, led by the 92nd Street Y (92Y), came together to find ways to promote and celebrate the great American tradition of giving. Thought leaders in philanthropy, social media and grassroots organizing joined with 92Y to explore what is working in modern

philanthropy and how to expand these innovations throughout the philanthropic sector. The concept gained steam, and with the help of the United Nations Foundation and other founding partners, more than 10,000 organizations have joined the movement and are providing creative ways people can embrace #GivingTuesday and collaborate in their giving efforts to create more meaningful results.