Orlando Helps Create Smiles for SickKids on World Smile Day

Florida's Favourite Family Destination Announces Support of Operation Smile at SickKids

ORLANDO, FL, Oct. 3, 2012 /CNW/ - To celebrate official World Smile Day on October 5, Orlando, a destination responsible for making millions of people smile, is teaming up with The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto to help bring more smiles to children with facial paralysis. On World Smile Day, the vacation destination famous for its smile-inducing, family-friendly attractions including seven of the world's top theme parks, will donate $10,000 to help fund Operation Smile in the highly regarded Toronto hospital's Facial Paralysis Program. One lucky patient of the program will also receive a trip for four to visit Orlando.

Operation Smile is part of the Facial Paralysis Program at SickKids that started with the development of new techniques to address the specific problems of facial paralysis in children. Before microsurgery, the treatment of facial paralysis was based on procedures to position the structures of the face in a more natural location. Although these techniques have a role in the treatment of older patients, its effectiveness is limited in children.

"A smile is the most universal symbol of happiness, and making a child smile is one of the most rewarding things we do in Orlando," says Danielle Courtenay, chief marketing officer for Visit Orlando. "We are honored to support the wonderful work done at SickKids and there is simply no more fitting time than World Smile Day to bring some deserved attention to such an important cause."

Dr. Ronald Zuker - also known as "Dr. Smiles" - conducts a dozen or more smile surgeries a year and consults with 50 children each year with various forms of facial paralysis. He is the former medical director of SickKids Cleft Lip and Palate Program for over a decade and the co-director of the Facial Paralysis Program at SickKids.

"This donation will help families who come to SickKids for this surgery every year," says Dr. Zuker. "These funds will also allow us to further our research into the movement and coordination of smiles, to help make these surgeries more effective in the future."

To learn more about how to support the Facial Paralysis Program at SickKids, visit sickkidsfoundation.com.

World Smile Day was created in 1999 by Harvey Ball, a commercial artist who created the smiley face, an image that has become one of the most recognizable symbols of good will and good cheer on the planet. The day is devoted to smiles and kind acts throughout the world.

From Brazil and Argentina to Germany and United Kingdom, Orlando is celebrating World Smile Day all over the world. The family-friendly destination has partnered with three-time gold medal winning American Olympian Misty May-Treanor to gather online smile-worthy photos from around the globe at Facebook.com/VisitOrlando until October 1. On World Smile Day, Misty's favorite photos will be featured in a "Let's See Your Smile" video. On World Smile Day, October 5, the "Let's See Your Smile" video will be posted on Facebook.com/VisitOrlando. For every video view, Visit Orlando will make a donation to Special Olympics.

About Visit Orlando
For more information about vacation experiences in Orlando, to order a complimentary vacation planning kit that includes a comprehensive Official Vacation Guide and Orlando Magicard^® or to purchase discount attraction tickets, visitors can log onto Orlando's official website at VisitOrlando.ca or call an Official Travel Counselor at 1-800-551-0181 (United States and Canada) or 407-363-5872. For real time updates, follow us on Twitter at Twitter.com/VisitOrlando or Facebook at Facebook.com/VisitOrlando.

Editor's Note: For additional press information or high-resolution downloadable images, please visit VisitOrlando.com/media.

SOURCE: Visit Orlando

Media Contacts:
Daina Astwood-George
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416-934-2104

Dayna Pollard
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416-934-2106