![Dr Ann Kummer smiling](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2023-04/ann-kummer-50.jpg?itok=abNN_0-d)
Dr Ann Kummer Wrote the Book on Cleft Care Management — Literally
Why this cleft speech pioneer is so passionate about donating to Smile Train
Susanna Finds Her Voice
Denied care as a child, she had to relearn to speak at age 20
Behind the Smiles: Dr Preciosa Bento
Our Program Assistant for Southern Africa reflects on what working at Smile Train is really about
![Candace Mauck and Troy Reinhart smiling at a Team Empower event](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2023-01/candace-50.jpg?itok=h9vum5ix)
My Marathon Summer
Our Manager of Team EMPOWER reflects on three marathons in three weeks
![Akuya smiling while holding a picture of herself before cleft surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2022-12/akuya-50_0.jpg?itok=aBIVMluM)
“She Is Our Pride and What Gave Us Strength”
How a family from rural Togo overcame superstition and fear to get their daughter the care she needed
![Dr Gergorie Akakpo-Numado](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2022-10/gregorie-akakpo-numado-headshot-free-cleft-lip-palate-surgery-togo-chu-smile-train.jpg?itok=4r6TMKhI)
Dr Grégoire Akakpo-Numado: Smile Train’s Model is Life or Death for My Patients
![Immaculata before surgery](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2022-08/immaculata-before-surgery-social-media-header_0.jpg?itok=ruB-mpPm)
Immaculata: How a Mother’s Faith Brought Hope and New Beginnings
A story of maternal love and faith bringing a family light out of darkness
![Nanette standing in front of her self-portrait, A Lotus Grows in the Mud](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2022-06/nanette-in-front-a-lotus-grows-in-the-mud.jpg?itok=vzLc6-5G)
Nanette Fluhr: Art as a Medium for Connection
For Nanette, exercising her artistic talent is about making a positive impact in the community.
![Opeyemi riding on his mother's back](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2022-02/opeyemi-free-cleft-lip-palate-surgery-smile-train-nigeria-50.jpg?itok=QliTmTFc)
Opeyemi: Families, Like Smiles, Come in Many Forms
His father abandoned the family when he was born with a cleft. His mother never stopped trying to make him smile
![Comrade Olubunmi Lawal-Aiyedun](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-12/oral-health-training-group%20%284%29.png?itok=8hl26D85)
![Cleft Con logo](/sites/default/files/styles/1_column_470_x_305/public/2021-12/cleft-con-smile-train-title-50.jpg?itok=WZ7TieQK)
At Cleft Con 2021, Vulnerability is Strength
“It's amazing what your cleft journey will do to your life when you embrace it.”