My name is David Aronson and I’d like to tell you about my project. In the US and other privileged countries, if a child is born with cleft lip and/or cleft palate to parents who can’t afford the corrective surgery, the child likely still has access to the procedure. Not only does it spare the medical system the future costs that come with the health problems affecting children with uncorrected cleft conditions, but it radically improves the child’s ability to socialize and contribute. But this is not true in poor and undeveloped countries, and this has motivated efforts by various charities to send surgeons who provide their expertise for free. This, in turn, has given rise to charities to raise money to cover additional costs such as hospital care, medical supplies, and more.

The severity of the cleft conditions can vary greatly, with some children only needing a single surgery, but more serious cases can require six or even more operations. On average the typical case requires three operations. The costs per surgery is approximately $250. This may not seem like a great deal, but three corrective surgeries for 100 children at $250 per surgery equals $75,000!

For every dollar I've received from my generous music fans, I've matched with two dollars of my own. So far I've raised nearly $49,000! Again, when I reach my goal of $75,000, $25,000 will have come from my supporters, $50,000 will have come from me.

The money I raise is split between two small charities that are 501c3 entities. Rotaplast International in San Francisco, and FACES Foundation in Portland, OR.

My name is David Aronson and I’d like to tell you about my project. In the US and other privileged countries, if a child is born with cleft lip and/or cleft palate to parents who can’t afford the corrective surgery, the child likely still has access to the procedure. Not only does it spare the medical system the future costs that come with the health problems affecting children with uncorrected cleft conditions, but it radically improves the child’s ability to socialize and contribute. But this is not true in poor and undeveloped countries, and this has motivated efforts by various charities to send surgeons who provide their expertise for free. This, in turn, has given rise to charities to raise money to cover additional costs such as hospital care, medical supplies, and more.

The severity of the cleft conditions can vary greatly, with some children only needing a single surgery, but more serious cases can require six or even more operations. On average the typical case requires three operations. The costs per surgery is approximately $250. This may not seem like a great deal, but three corrective surgeries for 100 children at $250 per surgery equals $75,000!

For every dollar I've received from my generous music fans, I've matched with two dollars of my own. So far I've raised nearly $49,000! Again, when I reach my goal of $75,000, $25,000 will have come from my supporters, $50,000 will have come from me.

The money I raise is split between two small charities that are 501c3 entities. Rotaplast International in San Francisco, and FACES Foundation in Portland, OR.