Brian Mullaney | Smile Train & WonderWork

I created this blog to thank those who deserve the credit, for some amazing, and unprecedented accomplishments. These unsung heroes include my amazing co-workers, 3 million of our donors, and thousands of selfless doctors, nurses and medical professionals. Working together, in 92 of the world’s poorest countries, we were able to…

Help provide 2+ million surgeries.
Raise $2+ billion in donations.
Earn the support of 3+ million donors.
Empower thousands of surgeons, nurses, and medical professionals through free training, equipment and financial aid.
Pioneer virtual surgery software which helped train thousands of surgeons.
Build the world’s largest digital cleft patient database.
Produce an Oscar-winning movie and a viral video 50+ million people watched.

Since 1990, I’ve created some of the world’s biggest surgical charities including Smile Train, Operation Smile NY, WonderWork, BurnRescue, FirstStep, and 20-20-20. A million miles of travel took me to refugee camps in Somalia, leper colonies in Uganda, cave homes in Inner Mongolia, the war-torn streets of Afghanistan and Gaza, and hundreds of slums in India, China, Africa, S. America, and Asia.

I witnessed thousands of medical miracles as I watched crippled children stand up and walk. Severely burned children be rebuilt and reborn. And blind children open their eyes and see their mom for the first time.

I met modern-day, good samaritans whose selflessness took my breath away. Mothers who walked for weeks with sick babies on their backs. Peasants who adopted babies they found on trash heaps. Heroic doctors and nurses who devoted their lives to helping the poor. And courageous children struggling with horrific medical problems. These experiences restored my faith in humanity. If they inspire you, please consider making a donation to the charities I recommend. Millions will never receive the surgery they need unless someone helps them.

You can be that someone.

To the millions of kids and adults, whose lives we all helped change, I thank you for changing mine.

Brian Mullaney
Smile Train Founder

Christie Brinkley

“ What really makes me smile is knowing that a small donation can help give a desperate child a miracle cure that will change their life.”

Bette Midler

“ There is no more meaningful work than giving a child back his dignity and health – to save a child from being cast out because of physical difference is God’s wonder at work indeed.”

Bryan Cranston

“ The best thing about WonderWork is knowing that every single donation, big or small, really makes a difference.”

Alex Trebek

“I’ve seen firsthand the suffering of these children and their parents. These life-changing cures are modern-day medical miracles.”

Candice Bergen

“ Even a small donation can have an enormous impact on the life of a child and his or her family.”

Chris Meloni

“ I’ve witnessed these miracle surgeries with my own eyes and I’ve met these children and selfless surgeons. I’m proud to be part of this humanitarian effort.”

George H.W. Bush

“I am so proud of and thankful for the extraordinary accomplishments of Smile Train and now WonderWork. Your vision has resulted in the transformation of countless lives, and I salute you! You, Brian, are a true Point of Light!”

Nickolas Kristof author of A Path Appears

Nicholas Kristof

“Mullaney has helped vast numbers of children all over the world – and by using local doctors in developing countries, he figured out how to lower costs, serve more people, and build local capacity. ... Smile Train may be the most productive charity, dollar-per-deed, in the world.”

Warren Buffet, investor and philanthropist

Warren Buffett

“A surgery that can change a child’s life, is one of the best investments anyone can make.”

Steven Levitt

“Brian Mullaney has done more to change the lives of poor children than just about any other person on the planet.”

32 years.
92 countries.
3 million donors.
1 Oscar.
$2 billion raised.
2,000,000 surgeries.