Cleft Palate Charities

Being born with a cleft palate causes one to struggle through social events and generally throughout life. The congenital deformity impairs speech and function of the palate, which makes it difficult for one to interact with others. Many are able to go through surgery to treat their cleft palate and even rehabilitation such as speech therapy afterwards to eliminate symptoms that develop after surgery. But many more are unable to undergo the much-needed surgery alone. This is why there have been many charities and organizations developed today. If you’d like to help, you can definitely be part of a nationwide and worldwide cause aiming to treat cleft palate and give a person the chance to live a normal, healthy and happy life.

Before participating in or donating to charities, it might be worthwhile to get to know the work done behind the scenes, so to speak. Teams all over the world are making it a goal to treat individuals with cleft palate the best way possible. Get to know the craniofacial team, which is a team of medical specialists that treat individuals with facial deformities including cleft palate. A typical team consists of a craniofacial surgeon, otolaryngologist (ENT), audiologist, pediatrician, pediatric dentist, orthodontist, orthodontic technician, prosthodontist, speech pathologist, psychologist, clinical genetist, social worker, and nursing officer. Together, these medical professionals can help give patients optimal results.

Charities are most often connected to craniofacial teams. If you search for craniofacial team on the World Wide Web, you will be able to find charities, which you can either donate to or participate in. Facing the World is a charity where the Craniofacial Team donates their services and charity fundraising to help with hospitalization costs as well as travel and accommodation costs.

There are several charities available online. The Smile Train is considered the world’s leading cleft charity. With this charity, 100 percent of your donation will end in programs designed to help children with cleft palate. Your donation will be used to provide free surgery (a 45 minute procedure) for children with cleft palate whose families cannot afford the treatment. A donation of as little as $250 will help greatly.

Other organizations in the United States include American Cleft Palate – Craniofacial Association and Cleft Palate Foundation; Cleft Palate – Craniofacial Center at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine; Cleft Palate Foundation; Wide Smiles Inc. at Stockton, CA.

Another way to donate your help for cleft palate patients is to check out charity events. You can either participate in them or donate money. There is adequate information online on charity events. An example of a charity event is an event for quilters, sewers and crafters to join together, use their talents to produce pieces of art, and sell their works to fundraise for cleft palate treatments. Other charity events include concerts and campaigns.

You too can have your very own charity to raise funds for cleft palate treatment. You can create websites specifically for this cause, send out the message through powerful images, and forward letters.