Photos Courtesy of Getty Images for Operation Smile
Park City’s exceptional non-profits are a driving force behind making our community the place we want to live, work and play. Whether we’re hiking through a lush aspen grove, taking in a concert under the stars or adopting a new four-legged friend, we’re constantly benefiting from the tireless efforts of our community’s nonprofits.
It’s no surprise that Park City’s extraordinary philanthropic spirit attracts national and international non-profits, as well, who choose our town as the perfect backdrop for their fundraising and celebratory events including the upcoming 2022 Celebrity Ski & Smile Challenge hosted by Operation Smile.
Operation Smile, an international volunteer organization that provides solutions for safe cleft-lip and cleft-palate surgery as well as comprehensive cleft care, will host its 10th annual ski event in Park City, designed to commemorate the hundreds of thousands of lives around the world that have been transformed thanks to Operation Smile’s global efforts.
Racers will take to Deer Valley Resort’s racecourse on Saturday, April 2, where teams of five will compete in head-to-head dual slalom races on Bald Mountain near Silver Lake Lodge, providing easy access for spectators. Each team will feature one celebrity skier and four amateur skiers, who are Operation Smile donors. The team with the best overall time will be recognized during an award luncheon directly following the races.
This year’s event is chaired by Head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke, TV and fitness personality Brooke Burke, actress Roma Downy and her husband, television producer Mark Burnett (“Survivor”). The junior event chairs include Henry, Georgia and Kate Salke, and Burke’s children, Sierra Sky, Shaya and Rain Charvet. The day will culminate with a VIP dinner at St. Regis Deer Valley.
Recent Operation Smile initiatives include distribution of 1.9 million N95 particulate respirators to health workers in low- and middle-income countries worldwide, thanks to a donation in November from Mölnlycke Health Care and in collaboration with Partnership for Quality Medical Donations (PQMD).
Operation Smile, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, kicked off 2022 by announcing a 10-year commitment to increase access to care for one million patients who need cleft care and other essential surgeries. Also in January, Operation Smile announced a partnership with the University of Southern California and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to construct the International Family Study (IFS) – a first-of-its-kind project that will study the causes of cleft conditions with the goal of utilizing the findings to help prevent cleft conditions before they develop in the womb.
The Celebrity Ski & Smile Challenge offers a variety of sponsorship levels ranging from the Title Sponsor to Junior Ski Sponsor to single dinner tickets and donation opportunities. For more event information and details on other donation options, please visit operationsmile.org/parkcity.
