Dec 2, 2020

More than $345,000 raised for children’s cleft surgeries Download Nathan Fillion, star of The Rookie and Castle, autographs an ornament for Operation Smile and Balsam Hill's annual charity auction at www.CelebritiesforSmiles.com (Photo: Business Wire) Nathan Fillion, star of The Rookie and Castle, autographs an ornament for Operation Smile and Balsam Hill's annual charity auction at www.CelebritiesforSmiles.com (Photo: Business Wire) December 02, 2020 08:00 AM Eastern Standard Time REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--( BUSINESS WIRE )--The Seventh Annual Balsam Hill Celebrities for Smiles Charity Auction launched at 8 a.m. EST on Sunday, November 29 and runs through December 8 on eBay at www.celebritiesforsmiles.com . This year, the public can bid on more than 50 one-of-a-kind, celebrity-autographed, beautiful holiday ornaments in the U.S. in dollars. All proceeds and a $25,000 pledge from Balsam Hill will benefit Operation Smile, an international surgical charity that brings children and families renewed hope through free cleft surgery and other essential cleft treatments, including speech therapy and dentistry. Balsam Hill, the leading retailer of stunningly realistic artificial Christmas trees and timeless holiday décor has partnered with Operation Smile, which knows that cleft surgery offers optimism and hope at any age. The auction runs through December 8. New celebrity-signed ornaments will be added to the site throughout the week. Since the program was launched, this annual holiday auction has raised more than $345,000 – providing more than 1,400 cleft surgeries for children around the world. Each unique holiday ornament is autographed by celebrities from film, music, television, art, sports and fashion fame including Mandy Moore, Candace Cameron Bure, Neil Patrick Harris, David Burtka, Brooke Burke, the cast of The Handmaid’s Tale, Nathan Fillion, and Zachary Levi. Fans can follow #CelebritiesforSmiles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to spot new ornaments and celebrity participants now through the end of the auction. Updates also will appear on facebook.com/BalsamHill and on Instagram @BalsamHill. The delicate mouth-blown ornaments in red with a sparkling white snow scene are approximately 4" in diameter. Each has been hand-signed by a celebrity. “Celebrities for Smiles allows the public to give a life-changing gift – that of a new smile to a child,” said Balsam Hill CEO Thomas Harman. “Owning one of these lovely ornaments is a wonderful annual reminder of the joy that you can not only give but receive during the holidays by helping others,” Harman added. “During a time when smiles are needed more than ever, we are grateful to Balsam Hill for their generous support of Operation Smile and the new reasons to smile that they have helped create since 2014,” said Kathy Magee, President and Co-Founder of Operation Smile. To date, Operation Smile has improved the health and dignity of more than 300,000 patients with cleft conditions. The flagship brand of Redwood City-headquartered Balsam Brands is Balsam Hill, renowned worldwide for its superbly crafted, lifelike Christmas Trees inspired by nature. Its exclusive True Needle™ Technology is modeled after real evergreen branches to beautifully replicate nature’s design. Not only known for being life-like, Balsam Hill’s patented technology including Flip Tree™, Instant Evergreen™, Candelight™ LED and Easy Plug™ make assembly easier than ever. The company was founded in 2006 by Thomas Harman, who was inspired to start Balsam Hill by a family member who was allergic to live trees but still wanted to create a festive atmosphere in his home during the holidays. When Thomas’ search for a lifelike artificial Christmas tree came up empty-handed, he created Balsam Hill to make highly realistic artificial trees. Today, Balsam Hill creates inspired home décor for all seasons and occasions, including realistic artificial florals that capture the beauty of spring. As a community leader, Balsam Brands engages in a variety of civic activities that help strengthen families and support those in need. About Operation Smile Operation Smile revolutionized cleft surgery globally in 1982. With nearly four decades of experience as one of the largest surgical volunteer-based nonprofits, Operation Smile staff, its private-public partnerships and thousands of volunteers have improved the health and dignity of patients with cleft conditions, helping them to better breathe, eat, speak and live lives of greater quality and confidence. While one cleft surgery can bring immediate transformation to a child’s life in as little as 45 minutes, Operation Smile is committed to providing patients with health that lasts—being there to offer patients additional surgeries, dentistry, psychological services, speech therapy and other essential cleft treatments. Its training and education programs elevate local surgical standards and entire health systems to aid safe surgery and strengthen a global network to reach more people earlier in their lives. You can learn more about its transformative and healing work by visiting operationsmile.org or by following them on social media.