Hello everyone! This August I will have the opportunity to pursue and fulfill a passion of mine by participating in an adventure of a lifetime…

I will be traveling to Cusco, Peru with Smile Network International, a non-profit, Minnesota-based, humanitarian organization that performs surgeries on children born with the debilitation birth defect of a cleft lip or cleft palate.

This is one of those rare charities where virtually everyone connected to it is a volunteer. The doctors who perform the surgeries, the nurses who assist, everybody volunteers their time to make this happen.

On this journey, I will join a group of adventurous souls for a 26-mile trek on the historic Inca Trail built by the Incas over 600 years ago leading to the breathtaking ruins of Machu Picchu.

At the end of the trek, I will have the opportunity to personally visit the mission site and join the mission team in Cusco or Lima - observe surgery in the operating room, hold babies in recovery and reunite grateful parents with their children in the hospital ward.

It is my hope, that every step I take on this four-day journey will benefit the children awaiting surgery at Smile Network’s mission site in Peru.

Donations for any amount are welcome. It is for as little as $500, Smile Network is able to repair a child’s birth defect and in the space of 45 minutes, restore joy and dignity to a child who once lived with shame, and will be given the gift of a happier and healthier life.

You should know two things:

• I will be paying all of my own expenses on this trip.
• Every penny raised will go to the Cusco mission where over 50 children will receive free life altering surgeries performed on them.

So for all practical purposes, our journey begins today. Donations for any amount are welcome. Some companies provide matching funds, so your contribution could double. Your donations are tax deductible.

Please help support this mission and the children of Peru with your donation.

Thank you in advance for your help in making a difference,

Paula Prescott