Operation Smile selected as beneficiary of TwestivalSF event in San Francisco

Who: TwestivalSF, the local division of the global Twestival event, will host special guests and social media luminaries to raise funds for the event’s official charity, Operation Smile. Operation Smile is a worldwide children’s medical charity that repairs cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities for children around the world. During TwestivalSF, Twitter participants will gather in over 200 cities around the world to raise money for a charity of their choice San Francisco has chosen Operation Smile as the benefit charity of TwestivalSF with the goal of raising donations to create 140 smiles. Last year, Twestival raised over $250,000.

The following social media celebrities will attend TwestivalSF: Stefanie Michaels, (@adventuregirl), nationally recognized travel expert with over 1 million Twitter followers; Ben Parr, technology journalist and Executive Editor at mashable.com; Yuri Baranovsky, the creator and star of the critically acclaimed web series "Break A Leg;” Dave Lakhani, the author of "Subliminal Persuasion;" Natasha Wescoat, nationally known painter and social media personality; and Marla Sherman, executive producer at FOX TV.

Where:  Horizon Restaurant and Lounge, located at 489 Broadway Street, San Francisco, Ca.

When: September 11, 2009. Doors open at 8 p.m.

About Operation Smile (www.operationsmile.org)
Founded in 1982, Operation Smile, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, is a worldwide children’s medical charity whose network of global volunteers are dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children and young adults. Since its founding, Operation Smile has treated more than 130,000 children born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities. The organization currently has a presence in 51 countries. In addition to contributing free medical treatment, Operation Smile trains local medical professionals in its 27 partner countries and leaves behind crucial equipment to lay the groundwork for long-term self-sufficiency. 

About 140 Smiles (www.140smiles.org)
In May 2009, Operation Smile launched 140 Smiles, a fundraising campaign planned and executed completely through the micro-blogging site Twitter. Based on the 140 characters allowed in Twitter messages, Operation Smile partnered with Common Knowledge, a non-profit consulting firm, to create an online campaign that would provide 140 surgeries. The cost of a surgery to correct a cleft lip or cleft palate is $240 and can take as little as 45 minutes.

About Twestival: (www.twestivalsf.com)
Twestival is an event taking place in over 200 cities around the world on September 11, 2009. The event is being coordinated by Twitter users. Twitter is a social networking site with a base of over 4.5 million users worldwide. Twestival, the brainchild of a handful of twitter.com users, debuted in London in September, 2008. Intended to be a local networking affair where attendees could meet their contemporaries behind twitter avatars, while also benefiting charity, the event has evolved into much more.