Look To The Stars News: Operation Smile

Zachary Levi Honored By Operation Smile

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:30:00 +0000

Operation Smile, an international children’s medical charity, honored Smile Ambassadors Zachary Levi and Giuliana and Bill Rancic at its 10th annual Smile Gala on September 23, 2011 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

The organization honored President of NBC Entertainment Jennifer Salke and her son Henry who was born with a cleft, as well as philanthropist Sue Tsao. Special guests included Operation Smile Ambassadors Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, Billy Bush, Brooke Burke-Charvet and David Charvet, Sharif Atkins and Megan Follows. More than $1.2 million was raised to benefit the organization.

Every three minutes, a child is born with a cleft. One in 10 of those children will die before their first birthday. The Smile Gala helps to provide hope and healthy futures for children worldwide. Operation Smile provides free surgery for children suffering from clefts, to heal their smiles and transform their lives.

Celebrity Ambassadors To Be Honored At Operation Smile Charity Gala

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Operation Smile, an international children’s medical charity, will honor Smile Ambassadors Zachary Levi and Giuliana and Bill Rancic at its 10th annual Smile Gala on September 23, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

President of NBC Entertainment Jennifer Salke and her 12-year-old son Henry, as well as philanthropist Sue Tsao, also will be honored. “Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush will serve as Master of Ceremonies.

Jackie Chan Attends Operation Smile Event In Beijing

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Jackie Chan was in Beijing on August 6 to attend Operation Smile’s International Student Cultural Exchange, where over 800 college and high school students from 23 countries around the world gathered to learn firsthand how to enhance their knowledge of global cultures, strengthen their character, and develop into future philanthropic leaders.

For almost 2 decades, Jackie Chan has helped to spread awareness for children suffering from cleft lip and cleft palate and Operation Smile’s work in China. In 1993, he donated $2 million (HK) and an anesthesia machine to help Operation Smile provide free surgeries for more children in China.

"Lost" Star Matthew Fox Volunteers in India

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:54:00 +0000

Just weeks before the Christmas holidays, “Lost” actor Matthew Fox travelled to India on a medical mission with Operation Smile, meeting hundreds of children suffering from cleft lips and cleft palates who were born into unimaginable poverty.

Actor Matthew Fox volunteered in Guwahati, India, on Operation Smile’s 500 patient medical mission. (Operation Smile Photo – Marc Ascher)

Celebrities Donate Gifts That Give Twice For Charity

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 12:30:00 +0000

Charitybuzz.com, the leading destination for online charity auctions, presents its second annual Gifts That Give Twice Holiday Auction, featuring hundreds of once-in-a-lifetime celebrity and luxury experiences to benefit more than 50 nonprofit organizations.

Carrie Underwood, Betty White, Justin Bieber, The Edge, Michael Moore, Ne-Yo, Quentin Tarantino and many more celebrities have signed on to give back this holiday season, in addition to coveted brands like HBO, Ritz Carlton, and Barbie. Bidding is open to the international community through December 21 at www.charitybuzz.com/HOLIDAY2010.

From magnificent tropical getaways to exclusive access to A-list stars, charitybuzz is the ultimate destination for luxury gifts that give back to those in need this holiday season. 100 percent of net proceeds from the Gifts That Give Twice Holiday Auction will benefit nonprofits such as TreePeople, The Art of Elysium, Operation Smile, Habitat For Humanity NYC, The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Reality Cares, Better Life Foundation, Children Affected by AIDS Foundation, First Tee, TACA, Musicians on Call and many others.

Celebrity Parents Help Bring Smiles to Children Worldwide

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:48:00 +0000

Mark Wahlberg, Brooke Burke and Alison Sweeney were among the celebrity parents who treated their kids to a day of smiles on Saturday while helping to bring smiles to kids around the world.

The Pottery Barn Kids’ Halloween Carnival raised funds for Operation Smile, an organization which helps children around the world who are born with facial deformities.

Harrison Ford And John Stamos Honored By Charity

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Operation Smile, a worldwide children’s medical charity, honored Harrison Ford, John Stamos and Susan Casden at its 9th Annual Smile Gala on September 24, 2010, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Access Hollywood host Billy Bush served as Master of Ceremonies and Jenna Ushkowitz and Kevin McHale of GLEE performed.

Special guests attending the gala included Operation Smile Ambassadors John Salley, who served as guest auctioneer, Carmit Bachar, Deidre Hall, Donald Trump, Jr. and Vanessa Trump. A highlight of the evening included a performance by Philippine Smile Ambassador Chadleen Lacdo-o. More than $1.5 million was raised to benefit the organization.

Operation Smile Co-founder and CEO Dr. William P. Magee presented the John Connor Humanitarian Service Award to Calista Flockhart on behalf of legendary actor and humanitarian Harrison Ford who was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict. The John Connor Humanitarian Service Award is presented to those individuals who have demonstrated their concern and love for their fellow man through their actions and deeds.

Harrison Ford And John Stamos To Be Honored At Charity Gala

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:30:00 +0000

Operation Smile, a worldwide children’s medical charity, will honor Harrison Ford, John Stamos and Susan Casden at its 9th Annual Smile Gala on September 24, 2010, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Access Hollywood host Billy Bush will serve as Master of Ceremonies and a special performance will be given by members of the cast of GLEE.

Jessica Simpson To Speak At Charity Student Leadership Event

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Triple threat Jessica Simpson – singer, actress, and a rocking philanthropist, that is – will bring her passion and resilience formed from years in the unforgiving entertainment industry to empower 500 college and high school students from 12 countries on behalf of Operation Smile as the International Youth Ambassador.

The 4-day event, which starts on August 1, is Operation Smile’s 18th annual International Student Leadership Conference and will take place at the University of Denver in Colorado. As the keynote speaker, Jessica Simpson will try to get youth amped up about their theme – “Be the Change!” – promoting activism and change in their communities. The conference-meets-boot camp is designed to have youth participate and interact in teams to help each other develop a strong mentality and spread optimism.

Electric violinist Caitlin Moe will perform at the conference with her reprises of well-known songs in pop culture.

NFL and TV Stars Play GameStop Battlefield Bracket Challenge

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:13:00 +0000

The lines have been drawn for the GameStop Battlefield Bracket Challenge, and it’s time to visit www.GameStop.com/BattlefieldBC2 to pick your winners and enter for a chance to win prizes, including a grand prize of $10,000.

Each of the 16 teams in the GameStop Battlefield Bracket Challenge is captained by a different celebrity or athlete, two Major League Gaming professionals serving as team sergeants and two amateur gamers selected by Electronic Arts. These 16 teams will compete in a bracket-style tournament in the Squad Rush multi-player mode until only one team is left standing (Squad Rush is available exclusively for 30 days to GameStop customers who pre-order Battlefield: Bad Company 2 before March 2). To the victor belong the spoils, as the winning team gets bragging rights as well as a $25,000 donation by Electronic Arts to the team’s charity of choice.

Harrison Ford Flies To Haiti For Charity

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Harrison Ford is the latest star to put his pilot skills to work for Haiti.

Following John Travolta and Ludacris’ mercy missions to fly supplies to the country following the earthquake on January 12, Ford has now used his own Cessna to fly in volunteers and and medical supplies for Operation Smile.

“This is not about me, it is just about doing what I can to help Operation Smile and the people of Haiti,” said the Indiana Jones star.

Deidre Hall's Operation Smile Celebrity Ball Canceled

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 11:30:00 +0000

Last week, LookToTheStars.org brought you news about the Operation Smile 2010 Valentine’s Charity & Celebrity Ball to be hosted by Days of Our Lives star Deidre Hall. Unfortunately, the event has now been canceled.

Emerging Magazine has released this statement:

“In light of the current medical and humanitarian crisis in Haiti, Emerging Magazine and Operation Smile will be canceling the 2010 Valentine’s Charity & Celebrity Ball slated for February 12, 2010.

Days Of Our Lives Star To Host Celebrity Charity Ball

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Days of Our Lives legend, social activist and Operation Smile Ambassador Deidre Hall will be hosting the 2010 Valentine’s Charity & Celebrity Ball, an Emerging Magazine Celebrity Production. The event is set to raise funds for the charity, Operation Smile.

Celebrities will join Deidre Hall for an evening of dinner, a luxury gift lounge with cocktails, live entertainment, a product runway and live auction featuring sponsor products.

Celebrities will walk the runway showcasing sponsor and vendor products from fashion to surfboards. Live music entertainment and a film premier will entertain attending guests during the star-studded event. To close the evening, three celebrity gift bags will be auctioned live to raise additional funds for Operation Smile.

Deidre Hall Named As Celebrity Charity Ambassador

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:30:00 +0000

Operation Smile, a worldwide children’s medical charity, has announced that actress Deidre Hall has been named an official Smile Ambassador and will support the organization’s global efforts of providing free surgeries for children born with cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities.

Hall wanted to become involved with a charity that involved surgery and helping children. After researching children’s medical charities, Hall contacted Operation Smile and volunteered her services.

In August of 2009, Hall and her 16-year-old son, David Sohmer, accompanied Operation Smile on a medical mission to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that provided new smiles to 113 children.  

Jackie Chan Writes About Operation Smile Surgery

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Jackie Chan has blogged about his involvement in an Operation Smile surgery carried out in Vietnam last month.

As reported by Look To The Stars last month, Chan spent an hour assisting in the surgery on Quy Thien Tran, a 6-month-old boy with a primary cleft. It was an experience Chan says will be with him for the rest of his life.

“From now on you must call me “Dr. Chan” because I helped with an actual surgery!" he wrote. "Actually, that’s not really true; I was mostly an observer. I held some gauze and watched as Dr. Magee did an operation that would change the life of a little 6 month-old boy. When the surgery began, Dr. Magee got right to work and I watched in amazement as he made a cut here, a cut there and sewed everything up in about an hour. Done! When the operation was over, a little boy whose face was disfigured and who could not eat properly was completely healed!

Jackie Chan Holds Dialogues For Peace

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:30:00 +0000

Action star Jackie Chan continued his current charity mission in Asia by speaking at schools in Cambodia last week.

Chan is in the country as part of the Bridges: Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace series of talks sponsored by the International Peace Foundation. As part of the event, he talked with students at the International School of Phnom Penh and the University of Cambodia.

The Bridges initiative features celebrities and world leaders talking about the importance of peace around the world. To find out more, visit the official website.

Jackie Chan Takes Part In Operation Smile Surgery

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:30:00 +0000

Last week brought news of Jackie Chan’s participation in a charity event in Vietnam for Operation Smile. Now we’ve learned that he assisted in an actual Operation Smile surgery at the Vietnam-Cuba Hospital in Hanoi.

The star is an ambassador for Operation Smile, an organization that helps children with cleft palates and other deformities.

Chan spent an hour helping with the surgery, and said he felt as tired as though he’d done martial arts for an extended period of time. The surgery was carried out on Quy Thien Tran, a 6-month-old boy with a primary cleft. Vietnamese singer My Tam and model Hi Anh also observed the surgery.

Jackie Chan Attends Operation Smile Event In Vietnam

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Jackie Chan continued his current charity work by taking part in Operation Smile Vietnam’s 20th Anniversary celebration, “Twenty Years of Smiles: A Journey of Miracles,” on November 4.

Chan is an Ambassador for Operation Smile, and visited children with cleft palates at the Vietnam-Cuba Hospital, accompanied by Miss Vietnam 2006 Mai Phuong Thuy.

The charity provides free reconstructive surgery to tens of thousands of children and young adults in 25 developing countries and the United States, bringing them new hope and new lives.

Taylor Swift Signs Elephant For Family Health International

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:29:00 +0000

As reported earlier by Look To The Stars, Family Health International is one of many charities to benefit from the current auction of celebrity-signed toy elephants organized by PROJECT ZAMBI.

Among those who have signed the elephants specifically for FHI are Taylor Swift (pictured below), the Jonas Brothers, Hugh Jackman, Heidi Klum and Ellen DeGeneres & Portia de Rossi.

Jessica Simpson Honored At Operation Smile Gala

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Jessica Simpson was honored at Operation Smile’s 8th Annual Smile Gala at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel on Friday, October 2.

Simpson is the International Youth Ambassador for Operation Smile, an organization that provides free reconstructive surgery to tens of thousands of children and young adults in 25 developing countries and the United States and brings them new hope and new lives.

Hosted by Access Hollywood presenter Billy Bush, the Smile Gala honored Jessica’s entire family for the work they do with the charity, as well as Stephen Berman of JAKKS Pacific, the Honorable Richard J. Riordan, Roselyn Sanchez and Eric Winter. Jessica, Ashlee, Tina and Joe Simpson have proven themselves beyond exemplary in their dedication to improving the lives of children throughout the world suffering from facial deformities. Jessica began her relationship with Operation Smile as a Smile Ambassador and attended an Operation Smile medical mission to Kenya with her father Joe in October, 2005. Jessica has also traveled to Washington, D.C. with Operation Smile founder Dr. William Magee and spoke to members of Congress on Operation Smile’s behalf.

Katy Perry Performs While Stars Shoot Hoops For Charity

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:30:00 +0000

T-Mobile USA, Inc. launched the T-Mobile myFaves Shot of a Lifetime with an exclusive celebrity shoot-out in Phoenix to benefit charity. Eliza Dushku, Jermaine Dupri, Donald Faison, Bill Simmons and Zachary Levi joined Dwyane Wade in the challenge to benefit the charity of their choice during the weekend.

T-Mobile created the charity shoot-out to officially launch the Shot of a Lifetime national sweepstakes, which gives one lucky winner and their fave five the opportunity to play HORSE against Dwyane Wade during the Eastern Conference Finals for a chance at $50,000. More information on the sweepstakes can be found at www.t-mobile.com/nba or text “MYSHOT” to 72579 to enter.

Stars including Yao Ming and Gabrielle Union joined T-Mobile to witness Dwyane Wade, Eliza Dushku, Jermaine Dupri, Donald Faison, Bill Simmons and Zac Levi square off against each other on a custom myFaves half-court. Emcee Sal Masekela was on the mic, getting the crowd to cheer in support of each participant, who each stepped onto the court for three shots at the basket to win up to $50,000 for the charity of their choice. The charity challenge concluded with an astonishing $170,000 donated to Camp Hale Alumni Association, Global Exchange Uganda Trauma Center, the Boys and Girls Club of Atlanta, Global Green, The Jimmy Fund and Operation Smile.

Chase Johnson Rocks The Smile

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:30:00 +0000

On January 24, Chase Johnson of MTV’s Laguna Beach hosted Rock the Smile for Operation Smile in San Clemente, California.

The evening was a rocking success – with 400+ attendees, $3600 was raised and as a result, 15 children will now benefit from life-improving cleft-surgery.

The night included a fashion show in which a dozen students modeled Rip Curl clothing. At the finale Chase, walked the runway and presented the co-chairs of the local Operation Smile chapter with a gift basket filled with hand-selected MTV products including DVDs, hats and other branded merchandise.

Chase Johnson To Host Rock The Smile

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 11:30:00 +0000

Chase Johnson from MTV’s Laguna Beach will host a special event for charity this weekend.

Rock The Smile is a dance and fashion show that will be held at the San Clemente Community Center in Orange County, Los Angeles, on Saturday, January 24 to raise money for Operation Smile. Over 300 teens from high schools around the area are expected to be part of the event that aims to change children’s lives forever.

Operation Smile is an organization that provides free reconstructive surgery to tens of thousands of children and young adults in 25 developing countries and the United States. Not only does this help the financial burden of surgery, but also brings patients new hope and new lives.

Jackie Chan Thanked By UNICEF

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:30:00 +0000

Back in July, Look To The Stars reported on Jackie Chan’s visit to East Timor to spread a message of non-violence to the country’s youth. As a direct result of the trip, two of Timor-Leste’s largest youth gangs have signed a peace agreement and vowed not to fight anymore.

The action star received a letter from UNICEF – who organized his visit – earlier this month thanking him for his participation and updating him on recent developments in the country.

“I honestly felt very happy when I received this piece of news,” said Chan “The influence I have on other people actually had some effect! Why can’t we all live together in peace? At the moment there are a lot of people who are working hard for the human race so that we can have better health and better living conditions. Researchers are looking for ways to cure cancer, people who are fighting against global warming and working to protect our environment; they only hope for humans to have a better tomorrow, so why are people still fighting and killing for advantages or benefits?”

Celebrities Hair the Call of Charity

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:44:09 +0000

When most people think of Ken Paves, they think of big hair. The “hairstylist of the stars”, dubbed by the world’s media as the “hottest hairdresser in Hollywood”, is the man responsible for taming the locks of celebrities such as Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lopez, Eva Longoria, and many more of the most beautiful people on the planet.

But now the stylist with the golden scissors has moved from big hair to big give with a new online auction he has organized through the Kompolt Online Auction Agency.

Inspired by the good deeds being achieved by the hit series “Oprah’s Big Give”, Paves has teamed up with a host of his celebrity friends to launch what could be the hottest auction this year, with all proceeds going to the EB Medical Research Foundation. So if it is once-in-a-lifetime celebrity items and experiences you want, hold on to your toupées and read on.