Text and heal a broken smile

MANILA, Philippines - Every year, one in every 500 Filipino babies is born with facial deformities. With cleft lips and palates, these children cannot smile, and as a result of the mockery they encounter, they often lose the will to do so.

All it takes to change their lives is a 45-minute surgical procedure care of Operation Smile Philippines. For you to personally help their cause, sharing a minute of your time to send a text message — and a few pesos — can go a long, long way.

Help Havaianas select the winning entry of Havaianas “Design a Smile,” a flip-flop design competition for the benefit of Operation Smile Philippines. From among over 2,200 entries from all over the Philippines, the top 10 designs were selected with the help of the judges: Bobby Manzano, president and executive director of Operation Smile Philippines; Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan, celebrity mom and TV personality; Mia Fausto-Cruz, mommy-in-chief of Smart Parenting; Dcal Dacalos, teacher from My Masterpiece Movement; and Anne Gonzalez, managing director of Havaianas Philippines.

Operation Smile Philippines president and executive director Bobby Manzano checks out the entries for the Havaianas “Design a Smile” contest.

Log on to www.havaianasphilippines.com/smile to view the top 10 designs and vote by sending havs[space]vote[space]design number to 2256. A portion of each vote will be donated to Operation Smile Philippines, and the winning design will be produced as a special Havaianas pair and sold for the benefit of Operation Smile Philippines.

You can also download an MMS picture of your favorite design by sending havs[space]vote[space]MMS[space]design number to 2256. Each MMS download is equal to 10 votes. Voting ends on Jan. 7, 2011.

One in every 500 Filipino babies is born with facial deformities. True to the vision of spreading smiles, Havaianas partnered with Operation Smile, a non-profit organization that provides reconstructive surgery and related health care to children with childhood facial deformities, to launch the Havaianas “Design a Smile” competition.

Visit www.havaianasphilippines.com/smile for more info on how to make kids smile.

Havaianas is available at All Flip-Flops, Aloha Boardsports, Celio, Duty Free Philippines Fiesta Mall, Gas, J&S Surf Shop, Kidsports, Manila Polo Club, Manila Yacht Club, Moana, Nail Spa, ROX, Rustan’s, Stoked, Tick Tock Flip Flop NAIA Terminal 3, and Urban Athletics. For provincial outlets, visit www.havaianas.com.