Seeking 90 Long Island Kids Who Need the Gift of a Happy, Healthy Smile
 
(Long Island, N.Y.) Every day, your mail is brimming with requests for contributions to worthy causes. As Christmas – and end-of-year giving – beckons, Smiles Change Lives (SCL) isn’t asking you for anything. We’re doing the giving to kids who need orthodontic treatment for happy, healthy smiles.
 
In Long Island, New York, SCL has enthusiastic partner orthodontists, all of whom are ready to give kids those smiles, but who need to find them first. Good orthodontic treatment provided by enthusiastic orthodontists is a gift worth sharing. So we’re asking you to help us find the kids who need this vital treatment. For Long Island, New York, we have 90 program openings we need to fill by year-end!
 
For youth who need braces, Thanksgiving dinner was misery because they experience discomfort when chewing. You won’t easily spot such a child because they don’t smile for fear of being perceived as less intelligent or capable. And their fears aren’t ungrounded. Studies illustrate evidence that less attractive employees typically will earn 10-15% less than those perceived as more attractive (Mobius and Rosenblat, Why Beauty Matters, 2006).
 
SCL is seeking applicants who meet the following criteria:

• Ages 11-18 with documented good oral hygiene
• Have moderately to severely crooked teeth and/or misaligned jaws
• Family income is 200% of Federal Poverty Guidelines or below; http://www.smileschangelives.org/qualify

SCL, with your help, hopes to make next Thanksgiving a dinner something they can enjoy without pain.
 
Dr. Frank Egan’s  Long Island, New York practice’s 2nd Annual Smiles Change Lives Turkey Trot raised money to provide braces for 68 of those 90 program openings in Long Island; http://site.netopia.com/eganorthodontic/smileschangelivesrun/.  “If we can just connect with the kids who need braces but can’t afford to have them,” says Egan, “then we’ll be able give them a running start for the future.”
 
SCL is completely funded and made possible by charitable donations. If you are interested in investing your time or money to give the gift of a life-changing new smile, please contact Smiles Change Lives at 816-421-4949 or visit www.SmilesChangeLives.org/AAS to Adopt-A-Smile. 

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Smiles Change Lives (SCL) provides life-changing, essential orthodontic treatment to children from low-income families. With eight active chapters and growing demand nationwide, our vision is to provide access to braces for all youth suffering from crooked teeth and misaligned jaws.  Since 1997, SCL has created more than 1,200 healthy smiles. With the support of 3M, our official orthodontic industry sponsor, SCL will be able to reach out to even more communities nationwide.