“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.”

Christie Brinkley

Smile Train & WonderWork supporter

I got to know Christie a little bit when I gave her an award at a major beauty convention at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. There were more than 1,000 women in the audience that day and you could tell how much they loved Christie by the roaring, enthusiastic welcome they gave her when she came on stage that day. It was deafening!

For my presentation, I did a lot of research on Christie and I must say I was surprised at what I learned.

I had this image of Christie Brinkley as just being a beautiful supermodel, but she is so much more than that. She’s an author, businesswoman, activist, filmmaker, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. Most importantly she is a devoted mother and has done a great job raising her kids. She is extremely accomplished, well-traveled, and well-spoken.

We spent about an hour together in the green room backstage before the presentation and I really enjoyed getting to know her. She is very intelligent, down-to-earth, approachable, and has a wicked sense of humor. I was so glad I got the chance to meet her.

I spoke to Christie a little bit about taking her on a Smile Train trip to Africa or Asia with the children and she seemed very interested in that. You could tell she really cares about Smile Train and our programs. The problem is she is so busy, and her schedule is just crazy. Now that her kids are older, perhaps to get the opportunity to meet some of the thousands of children whose lives she has helped change.

How ironic that the woman with one of the most beautiful smiles in the world has helped put smiles on the faces of hundreds of thousands of children.

Thank you, Christie Brinkley!