New York, NY – Typically when it comes to issues that affect the Filipino community, out of college young professionals are not the primary contributor to these causes. For Dennis Baquiran Jr. and Camille Valencia, this is not the case. As the Marketing Manager of Nature Sounds Records, Dennis has tackled the rigorous tasks that involve a career in the music business, yet he has not forgotten the numerous problems taking place in his native country. Taking it upon himself to utilize his connections in the industry such as Mighty Healthy, he started an event to support an organization he strongly supports – Operation Smile.

“As Filipino-Americans in today’s society, it would be our honor to sponsor events that have an instant connection with young professionals who have the time and resources to donate to this cause. Through our fundraising efforts, we plan to educate the community on clefting and palates while bringing more funds and attention to a worthy organization like Operation Smile.”  -Dennis Baquiran Jr.

More On Event Sponsor Mighty Healthy: Ray Mate is the co-founder of Mighty Healthy, a New York based clothing company formed in 2002. Mighty Healthy’s designs have caught the attention of tastemakers from all over the world, working with other companies such as snowboarding giant Burton and being featured in magazines such as Vibe and Complex. To assist Baquiran’s vision of fundraising for Operation Smile, Mighty Healthy has graciously given their support, helping spread the word to their already large database of fans.

What is Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate? – Both are birth defects in which the tissues of the mouth or lip do not form properly during the early stages of fetal development. This condition is also one of the most common major birth defects among children of Asian, Latino, or Native American descent.

While some women believe that foods they eat during pregnancy are to blame for the formation of Cleft lip and Palate, modern science is revealing that these common misconceptions may have nothing to do with the prevalence of the deformities at all. Instead, researchers believe that malnutrition and defective genes are the primary cause.  Aside from the actual cause of this condition, the social and psychological effects are what make this condition so disheartening.

More on Operation Smile – an organization dedicated to help children born with this defect – has traditionally been associated with medical missions that perform the surgical procedures necessary to treat clefting.  Within the last 20 years, this program has worked towards more preventative methods at decreasing the prevalence of clefting. A genetic study from the University of Iowa has concluded that vitamin deficiencies in correlation with the poor formation of genes are major contributors to cleft lips and palates.

This nutritional deficiency raises a larger issue in terms of the socio-economic status in developing countries like the Philippines. Whether for lack of resources or general information on crucial prenatal care, mothers of children with cleft lips and palates rely heavily on services offered by organizations that donate their time and resources for this costly surgical procedure.  A more proactive approach would be to improve women’s health in these countries overall, and provide supplements such as folic acid and vitamin B, in addition to a maintaining nutritious diet.

An instant change can be made here with your help: to bring a smile to a child’s face.  Your help can make that difference for our brothers and sisters. Please support our fundraiser for such a worthy cause: