An evening of high profile celebrity attendance in a family friendly atmosphere, the Smiley Faces Foundation Inaugural Event this past Tuesday raised money and awareness to help children with cleft lips and palates.
Held at The Red Bull Space, guests viewed the stunning exhibition of photographs by the world’s leading photographers. Early in the evening we chatted with Adam Bell, the founder of Smiley Faces Foundation and executive managing editor at Seventeen. He showed us the portrait of his son Ethan, who was born with a cleft. He recalled speaking about the experience with the parents of the other children in the exhibition. “Children who once shied from the camera, are now being photographed by some of the world’s leading photographers and it’s amazing to see how they smile.” And they certainly were bursting from the images with resounding and inspiring self confidence.
Though the event was celebrity headlined the evening was refreshingly void of social climbing and alternative agendas and sincerely focused on the cause. Ann Shoket, editor-in-chief of Seventeen Magazine casually chatted amongst close friends. Arm in arm with Adam Bell, Nigel Barker in a sleek pinstripe suit blew out his birthday sparklers.
The evening ended on a sweet note… gift bags filled with chocolate dipped cookies, Kiehls, Completely Bare gift certificates and even beef jerky.
For more information about Smiley Faces Foundation: http://www.smileyfacesny.com.
Check out footage of Nigel’s Birthday Wishes : NBC Niteside
