Operation Smile Remains Independent

On February 14, 2011, Operation Smile and Smile Train announced their intent to merge in order to “bring together the best volunteer doctors and other medical personnel, with the best in-country facilities, and … reach more children than the two charities would have separately”.

However, the Board of Directors of Operation Smile voted to discontinue the proposed merger on March 7, 2011. On behalf of the Board of Directors, William R. Fox, Chairman of the Board of Operation Smile, said: “Due to controversy surrounding the proposed merger, we have mutually agreed to remain independent organizations. Our focus at Operation Smile is to help more children and we do not want anything to distract from this effort. We remain committed to our model to build local medical capacity and provide quality care for the millions of children around the world who suffer from cleft lips and cleft palates.”

Take a look at a message from the Co-founders and Chairman of the Board here: http://www.operationsmile.org/about_us/leadership/message-from-the-co-founders.html.