SWF Newsletter December2013

 www.smallwondersfoundation.org December 2013 Dear Friends, What an incredible year 2013 has been for Small Wonders Foundation (SWF) and the wonderful children we support! With great thanks to you, we have been able to help more children this year than ever before. This year alone, SWF and leading pediatric plastic surgeon Dr. John Reinisch have helped six children with conditions ranging from deforming black birthmarks on their faces to ears that did not develop normally. Their incredible stories are below. We also wanted to tell you about some of the year's highlights: from our first annual A Night of Wonders benefit event to our new Junior Advisory Council. We continue to help children born with facial deformities in new, dynamic, creative and effective ways—fostering life-­‐changing relationships and engagement that our members and beneficiaries will carry with them for the rest of their lives. Please read this letter and see the extraordinary before-­‐and-­‐after photos of the children who have benefited from your continued support and generosity. We hope you will be inspired and moved by the childrens' stories and the transformative talent of Dr. John Reinisch, who donates his time and expertise to improve the lives of children born with facial abnormalities. SWF, in partnership with Dr. Reinisch, covers related expenses: surgical center fees, anesthesia, prosthetic costs, travel and housing, but we can only continue to do so with generous contributions from you and others. Looking forward, we would like to help even more children in 2014, and are excited about all the wonderful opportunities that a new year will bring. SWF currently has 20 new, deserving children whose parents have asked for our help and support. In this, our second annual newsletter, SWF reflects back on the many important events, accomplishments and new developments that have transpired over the past twelve months. Here we offer a glimpse into the lives of some of the families we have helped to date, as well as the hopes we nourish, and the dreams we make a reality. As the New Year approaches, we hope you will make an end-­‐of-­‐the-­‐year donation in support of Small Wonders Foundation. Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season! Small Wonders Foundation Beneficiaries Diego, Mexico Diego is SWF's first beneficiary. In 2010, at the age of 12, Diego and his mother traveled from Mexico so that he could receive reconstructive surgeries on both ears, having been born with bilateral microtia and no hearing. After two surgical procedures lasting nearly ten hours each, Diego not only had ears, but also could hear for the first time. His story was told by Katie Couric on the CBS Nightly News, on Univision's Aqui Y Ahora, as well as on local television and in print. A world-­‐
class gymnast and inspiring teen, Diego will always be an important part of the SWF family. See below for Diego's visit with the new SWF Junior Advisory Council. Andrej, Republic of Macedonia Andrej was born with a giant melanocytic nevus that covered the left side of his scalp and his forehead. Andrej and his family traveled from the Republic of Macedonia to see Dr. Reinisch in 2010 for a series of tissue expansions and reconstructive surgeries to remove the nevus. This past November, Andrej and his family were here again so that Dr. Reinisch could perform another surgery necessary to remove the remaining nevus from Andrej's forehead and improve his hairline with tissue expansion. Biljana Zlatanoska (mother of Andrej) shared with SWF: "I wanted to...say how thankful we are for all your help and everything that you do to give Andrej a second chance in life." Sweet, adorable Andrej is now 3 years old. Liam, California At only a few months old, Liam visited Dr. Reinisch to remove a giant congenital nevus from around his right eye, undergoing a reconstruction surgery on his right eyebrow that included a full thickness skin graft of the eyelid and tissue expansion to reconstruct the area of his face following removal of the giant nevus. At just two years of age, Liam returned to see Dr. Reinisch, and colleague Dr. Gary Perrault, for a combination surgery to restore his right eyebrow with hair transplants from his scalp. Cute and delightful, Liam is now 3 years old. Kirtan, India Kirtan traveled from India to see Dr. Reinisch for a Medpor® ear reconstruction surgery, a procedure that Dr. Reinisch pioneered more than 20 years ago to provide realistic looking ears to children born with microtia. Kirtan underwent six previous surgeries using rib cartilage to construct his ear, but the results were not good, so his family sought out Dr. Reinisch to solve the problem and make fun-­‐loving Kirtan's life better. Elman, Iran Young Elman traveled from Iran to see Dr. Reinisch to remove a giant congenital nevus from his right forehead. He had a full thickness skin graft of the eyelid and tissue expansion to reconstruct the area of his face following removal of the giant nevus. Elman recently underwent surgery for a second tissue expansion placement and removal of the remaining nevus on his scalp. A courageous and kind kid, Elman is now 5 years old Small Wonders Foundation Updates: Caly Angel and Lily Update on Caly Angel: It's been two years since SWF helped Caly Angel from the Philippines. Dr. Reinisch removed a large, dark birthmark from Caly Angel's cheek, immeasurably changing the life of this beautiful, outgoing 6-­‐year-­‐old girl. Her story was featured on KNBC in Los Angeles. Caly Angel, before Caly Angel, now Update on Lily: At only six months old, brave little Lily became a world traveler. Coming from Vietnam, Lily traveled with her parents to Los Angeles last summer so that Dr. Reinisch could remove a large black birthmark from her face. Lily underwent two surgeries. Lovely Lily is now almost two. Lily, before her two surgeries Lily, after (18 months) Meet the New Faces of Small Wonders Foundation: SWF Junior Advisory Council! SWF beneficiary and now Junior Advisory Councilmember Diego with fellow JAC members Photo by Diana Lundin Photography SWF is thrilled to introduce the Small Wonders Foundation Junior Advisory Council (SWF JAC). Inaugurated in Spring 2013, the SWF JAC is comprised of 26 youth, ranging in age from 9 to 14, from schools and communities all around Los Angeles. They have joined the SWF family to lead the way in supporting fellow youth born with facial abnormalities. SWF's JAC is breaking down age-­‐confining barriers and paving a positive path for life-­‐long charitable engagement. Chaired by JAC members Kai (14), Brittany (14), and Chase (13), who together lead each council meeting, the JAC comes together each month to support Small Wonders Foundation, plan fundraising events and discuss other innovative and creative opportunities to help the organization. In June, the group had the opportunity to meet SWF's first beneficiary, Diego, a now-­‐famous gymnast from Mexico, who was born with bilateral microtia. Since his surgeries, Diego has won numerous distinguished gymnastics medals, including major wins at the recent National Olympics in Mexico, where he was named the National Champion and awarded the Gold medal on the men's rings, and the Bronze medal on the pommel horse. The SWF Junior Advisory Council was featured in Ventura Blvd magazine's Summer 2013 issue. Read the article here: http://www.smallwondersfoundation.org/summer2013.pdf The JAC had its first fundraiser in October graciously hosted by the Reisz family, who are founding board members of SWF and SWF JAC. A special thanks also to parents Evelyn Halus and Carrie Adelman for their generous help in making this event possible. The first annual Halloween-­‐themed MONSTER of a PARTY raised more than $6,000 to help SWF. This fun evening included raffle drawings, dinner, games, a DJ and dancing, and, of course, costumes! The Stars Shone at Small Wonders Foundation's First Annual A Night of Wonders L -­‐ R: Dr. John Reinisch and Alfred Molina, Grammy Award-­‐winning bassist Jimmy Haslip, Amelia Jackson-­‐Gray, Dr. John Reinisch and Skeet Ulrich Small Wonders Foundation was the beneficiary of a fantastic summer soirée, which was held on June 6 and hosted by New York Life and Dos Gallos Antiques to help children born with facial deformities receive state-­‐of-­‐the-­‐art medical treatment. This magical evening began with live music from Grammy Award-­‐winning bassist Jimmy Haslip of the Yellowjackets Jazz Quartet, singer Emma Cole, a heartfelt presentation by award-­‐winning actor Alfred Molina (Spider Man 2, The Da Vinci Code, Frida, Chocolat), and an introduction of Small Wonders Foundation's own Dr. John Reinisch. The evening's special guests also included Skeet Ulrich (Jericho, Law and Order) and his wife Amelia Jackson-­‐Gray (The Campaign); Tommy Chong (Cheech and Chong: Up In Smoke); Alicia Coppola (Another World, National Treasure: Book of Secrets) and her husband Anthony Michael Jones (A Marine Story, Shadowheart); artist Dan McCleary; Tony Abatemarco (Sleeping with the Enemy, A Day Without a Mexican); philanthropists Dwight Stuart and Bruce Stuart; as well as other top interior designers, philanthropists and SWF supporters, board members, friends and family. Delicious cocktails and hors d'oeuvres were plentiful from Herradura Tequila, Magic Hat Brewing Company, Troon Vineyard and chef Jeffrey Scott, along with fresh oysters from WiAnno Oysters that were flown in from Cape Cod as a gift especially for this important event. Guests also shopped Dos Gallos' one-­‐of-­‐a-­‐kind antiques and custom furniture; with 20 percent of the evening's proceeds being donated to Small Wonders Foundation. The Mural Crew of local youth arts program, Art Division, came together to create a beautiful mural for A Night of Wonders. Watch the making of the mural here: http://vimeo.com/70093026 A HUGE thank you to all who made A Night of Wonders a fabulous event. We raised $15,000, which means that more children will receive the life-­‐changing surgeries they need. SAVE THE DATE! The second annual A Night of Wonders will take place Sat., June 14, 2014. Join the Small Wonders Foundation Family: Support SWF Today! Join Small Wonders Foundation in our fight to forever change the lives of children born with facial deformities. We are a 100 percent volunteer organization and every dollar you donate directly supports children with facial abnormalities, helping them to receive state-­‐of-­‐the-­‐art medical treatment. We hope you will take this opportunity to make a donation today. To show your support of Small Wonders Foundation, please visit www.smallwondersfoundation.org, email [email protected], or mail checks to Small Wonders Foundation, P.O. Box 480185, Los Angeles, CA 90048. Small Wonders Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-­‐exempt organization. Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. About Small Wonders Foundation Small Wonders Foundation is a Los Angeles-­‐based nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides financial assistance, resources and encouragement to families of children with congenital and acquired deformities of the face and body who require surgery. Started in 2005, Small Wonders Foundation supports the work of world-­‐class pediatric plastic surgeon Dr. John Reinisch, who donates his time and expertise to helping these young patients from across the globe. Children born with facial deformities or birthmarks are oftentimes the subject of teasing and ridicule and may have low self-­‐esteem due to being treated differently. Sometimes it gets in the way of their learning or ability to make friends. Dr. Reinisch understands the emotional as well as the physical needs of his patients and their families. Small Wonders Foundation, working with Dr. Reinisch and the patients' families, provides children with the opportunity to live full and happy lives. Learn more about Small Wonders Foundation today! Small Wonders Foundation | P.O. Box 480185 | Los Angeles, CA 90048 | www.smallwondersfoundation.org