Every time my three-year-old son smiles, I smile too. I can’t imagine how painful it must be for a child to go through life with an unrepaired cleft — and how devastated parents must feel when they are powerless to help. Through The Smile Train, we can help transform the lives of these children—and their parents.”

Mariska Hargitay, Actor

Chris Meloni, one of our longtime supporters and a member of our board of governors introduced me to Mariska Hargitay.

Mariska and Chris were the mega stars of the hit NBC show Law and Order: SVU. Mariska loved what we were doing and agreed to help us right away – and I loved what she was doing too.

Mariska started an incredible charity called the Joyful Heart Foundation which is dedicated to helping victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse.

Ironically, these are all issues that her TV show deals with every single week. I have been to many of her annual fundraising dinners and they are extremely well-done, and her charity is very effective and well-managed. You can find out more at http://www.joyfulheartfoundation.org/

Mariska’s cause and especially her dinners really hit home with me because I had a good friend who was raped when she was 23 years old. I was 19. I saw first-hand how devastating this kind of violence can be and the long-term damage it can cause.

Thankfully they caught the monster that raped my friend and I was called to testify in the trial. He was convicted through a landmark verdict and sentenced to 10 years in state prison.

I really admire Mariska Hargitay for all the good work she is doing, and I am grateful to her for supporting us.