NDTV's
'Our Girls Our Pride' Campaign
Young
artists from Smile Foundation participate in the painting competition
at Kolkata |
|
Smile
Foundation children in Kolkata and Mumbai joined forces with NDTV
in support of the latter's national level campaign, 'Our Girls Our
Pride' to sensitize the civil society towards the cause of girl
children.
A painting event was organized on October
26, as part of the campaign. The idea was to create murals/wall
paintings with various artists participating in the event. Simultaneously,
there was a drawing competition for the children on the theme 'Our
Girls Our Pride'.
More than 150 children from Mission Education centres in Kolkata
and Mumbai participated in the competition, depicting the theme
through drawings ranging from school going girls to illustrations
of Durga.
|
Harley
Davidson ride in support of Mission Education
Tusker
Harley Davidson Bangalore, in association with H.O.G (Harley
Owners Group), organized a ride to support the education
of underprivileged kids on October 27. Flagged off by children
from Smile Foundation, the ride was joined by 20 HOG's from
the garden city who rode “Miles for Smile”.
The resources raised from the ride
were extended towards the education of 60 kids under Smile
Foundation's Mission Education programme. The HOG's had
also put up placards on the importance of education to sensitize
the public towards the cause.
The sensitization cum resource raising campaign was organized
under Smile Foundation's 'Celebrating Responsible Luxury'
initiative, in which luxury brands across the spectrum join
hands to put smiles on the faces of underprivileged children,
by endowing the gift of education to ensure a better future
for them.
|
|
|
Some
Men will Ride Miles for a Smile - The HOGs take on the Garden City
to promote the cause of education for children
|
 |
Isha
Koppikar celebrates birthday with Smile kids
Isha
shares her birthday cake with Smile kids
|
|
Bollywood
actress Isha Koppikar celebrated her birthday with a difference,
choosing to spend the day with Smile Foundation children in Mumbai.
The children were equally excited to be with “Isha didi”.
They had got a cake, card and flowers to wish her. Isha was moved
by this simple gesture and indulged them with games, little gifts
and chocolates.
Expressing her joyous feeling, after cake cutting ceremony, Isha
said, “The feeling of making these children happy even for
a day brings fulfilment in my heart. Because it is each child's
right to live their life basking in happiness and joys, without
worrying about anything but just being happy and being kids. But
unfortunately these children have seen the bitter side of life too
early and I feel honoured to be able to make a positive difference
in their life and bring them some hope and joy.”
|
Air
France-KLM employees become Santa for Smile kids
Smile
kids display their gifts along with their 'Santa', the Air France-KLM
employees
|
|
For
children from Mission Education centre near Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi,
Christmas was ushered in a couple of days earlier, by Air France
KLM. Employees from Air France-KLM donned the Santa cap and celebrated
Christmas with the kids, in the true festive spirit, spreading smiles
and cheer.
The children at the centre
had written their wishes on cards which were put up on a Christmas
tree at Air France-KLM's office. Each employee picked up a wish
and made them come true for the kids with not a single wish remaining
unpicked.
On December 23, the employees visited the centre and personally
gave the gifts to the children. They interacted with the kids, danced,
sang and had a lot of fun. The children's joy knew no bounds as
all their wishes got fulfilled.
|
Assam
socialites “Dine to Make Childhood Shine”
Smile
kids perform in front of the distinguished guests at Terra Mayaa |
|
Dignitaries
from different walks of life joined hands at a mega fundraising
cum sensitization event, 'Dine to Make Childhood Shine' at Terra
Mayaa, a premiere restaurant in Guwahati, Assam, to support the
education of underprivileged children at Mission Education UTSAH
centre in Hafiznagar slum area.
The event, held on October 4, was celebrated
as part of the Joy of Giving Week. The highlight of the event was
a dance recital by children from the Mission Education centre, who
had relentlessly prepared for two weeks under volunteers to deliver
a flawless performance. This was followed by a gala dinner for the
guests.
Dy. Commissioner, Kamrup Metro, Ashutosh Agnihotri; members of the
Assamese film fraternity, Zerifa Wahed, Nishita Goswami, Kopil Bora,
Diganta Hazarika and eminent personalities like Dipannita Jaiswal,
Anurag Singh, Garima Saikai Garg and Florence Handique Rabha, attended
the event besides Juhi Saboo Singh, co-founder, Terra Mayaa and
representatives from UTSAH.
|
 |
Karthik
Jayaram pledges support for Smile kids
South
star Karthik Jayaram welcomed the New Year with Smile kids
at his film's sets in Bangalore, where he had planned many
surprises for them.
Delighted to be amongst the children,
Karthik said, “We all celebrate New Year big time
by partying. This year though I wanted to do something different.
I strongly believe that children are the next change makers
and education is the most effective tool to prepare them.
It feels great to be associated with Smile Foundation and
be a reason for these kids to smile.”
Interacting with the children, Karthik cut a cake and distributed
surprise gifts to them. He also gave the children a tour
on the sets of his film. The celebrations were joined by
actress Neha Saxena, director Nagendra Urs and film producer
Rajanna. Taking his support for the kids further, Karthik
pledged a token amount the kids' education under Mission
Education programme.
|
|
|
Karthik
Jayaram rings in the New Year with Smile kids as Neha Saxena and Nagendra
Urs join the festivities |
 |
Empowering
Grassroots Mumbai
Resource
person Aarti Madhusudan takes a session on Good Governance at Empowering
Grassroots, Mumbai |
|
Smile
Foundation conducted a two-day free residential capacity building
programme 'Empowering Grassroots' for community based grassroots
organizations in Mumbai, from December 11-12.
25 select organizations participated in the
programme which was focused on building the capacities of grassroots
NGOs, keeping in mind the CSR mandate under the Companies Acts 2013
and the giving opportunity having emerged with the growing middle
class of India.
Local fundraising for project management,
communication and sustainability, good governance for organizational
development and strengthening, building organisational competencies
through 5-C model were among major sessions conducted by various
subject experts, trainers and guest faculty.
In the last two years, Smile Foundation has built capacities of
500 grassroots organisations across India, under the Empowering
Grassroots programme.
|
 |
Smile
Foundation recognized by ASSOCHAM and IPE Corporate Excellence Awards

Mr.
Bhupendrasinh M. Chudasama, Minister of Education, Govt. of Gujarat
presents the award to Mr. Santanu Mishra, Co-founder & Executive
Trustee, Smile Foundation |
|

Mr
Vikram Singh Verma, COO Smile Foundation receiving the IPE Corporate
Excellence Award at a ceremony at Taj Land Ends, in Mumbai
|
Smile
Foundation was conferred with the Education Excellence Award 2013,
by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industries (ASSOCHAM)
and The Education Post. The awards also felicitated Smile Foundation
with the certificate of 'Leader in Social Venture Philanthropy in
Child Education.'
|
|
Smile
Foundation was also presented the Corporate Excellence Award for
NGO Excellence. The Awards have been instituted by the Institute
of Public Enterprise (IPE); a Hyderabad based non-profit educational
society, endorsed by World CSR Day and Asian Confederation of Business.
|

Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2013
|
Smile
Foundation flies high the cause of Child Education as it runs at the
JLN Stadium, New Delhi |
Smile
Foundation participated for the fourth time in the Airtel Delhi
Half Marathon on December 15, as a “Change Runner” to
raise resources for the education of underprivileged children. Blackrock
India, Amtek Auto Ltd. and Yum! Restaurants India joined Smile Foundation
in championing the cause of Child Education. Their association will
also ensure quality education for 130 underprivileged children,
through Smile Foundation's Mission Education programme.
The over fifty member
strong Smile team including employees from Blackrock, Amtek and
Yum! ran for 6kms. as part of the Great Delhi Run, at the Jawaharlal
Nehru Stadium, New Delhi.
|
The
Smile team at ADHM 2013, including employees from Amtek and Blackrock |

Smile
with Hyatt – Making a Difference with Art
Visitors
explore artwork at the Smile with Hyatt show in Mumbai |
|
Hyatt
is celebrating the completion of 30 years in India along with Smile
Foundation, with a series of art shows in an endeavour to help raise
funds for the education of underprivileged children. Titled ‘Smile
with Hyatt,’ the series will showcase affordable artworks
by 30 of India’s leading contemporary artists.
The first show was organised in Mumbai in December, which has helped
induct 167 children into Mission Education programme. It included
works by leading Indian artists such as Anjolie Ela Menon, Jatin
Das, Seema Kohli, and JMS Mani among others.
In tandem with the art shows, Hyatt employees
from seven hotels – Grand Hyatt Mumbai, Hyatt Regency Mumbai,
Hyatt Regency Pune, Park Hyatt Goa, Hyatt Amritsar, Hyatt Regency
Chennai and Hyatt Pune, participated in an internal giving campaign
for Smile Foundation called “30 days of Giving”, over
the Christmas holidays.
Hyatt is also directly supporting the education of 300 underprivileged
children at Mission Education centres across India.
|

Blackrock
Smiles this Christmas
Blackrock
employees celebrated Christmas and New Year with Smile kids
on December 24. More than 15 employees from the organization
visited a Mission Education centre in Delhi to participate
in the festivities.
Children from the centre as well as
Blackrock employees made greeting cards on Christmas and
New Year themes and exchanged them at the end of the interactive
session.
Guitar playing, Christmas carols and Bollywood numbers presented
by the kids, added fun to the celebration as Blackrock employees
danced on various songs.
|
|
|
Smile
kids at the ME centre show off their Christmas cards |

Upendra
celebrates birthday with Smile kids
Smile
kids wish Upendra with a special card on his birthday |
|
Kannada
superstar Upendra celebrated his 45th birthday with Smile Foundation
kids in Bangalore.
The children extended their best wishes to
Upendra and danced with him after the cake cutting ceremony along
with the actor's family and friends.
Upendra and his wife Priyanka announced their philanthropic venture
for the benefit of the girl child, during the occasion. The event
was attended by eminent personalities from the world of cinema,
corporate and media.
|

Smile
kids tie Rakhi on the President's wrist
The
President of India, Sh. Pranab Mukherjee met Smile Foundation
children during a specially organized Raksha Bandhan ceremony
at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi.
First Lady Smt. Suvra Mukherjee accompanied
him in encouraging the children.
The excited children got an hour-long
guided tour of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Later they tied Rakhi
in the traditional manner on the President's wrist in a
symbolic gesture.
The affable President wished the children
success and happiness for their future.
As special guests, the children also got a taste of the
famed culinary experience of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
|
|
|
Smile
kids with the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee and Smt. Suvra
Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan |

Yum!
and Smile fight against hunger with Sharman
Vikram
Singh Verma, COO, Smile Foundation with Niren Chaudhary, President,
Yum! Restaurants India and actor Sharman Joshi, at the KFC outlet |
|
Yum!
Brands, Inc. has brought its global World Hunger Relief (WHR) campaign
to India along with Smile Foundation, in the form of 'Hunger to
Hope Kitchen'.
The campaign was kick started at a KFC outlet
in Delhi on September 18, in the presence of Mr. Niren Chaudhary,
President, Yum! Restaurants India; Mr. Vikram Singh Verma, COO,
Smile Foundation and Bollywood actor Sharman Joshi.
Yum!'s contribution over the next one year
will cater to the nutritional needs of more than 2,000 underprivileged
children, under Smile Foundation's Mission Education programme.
Sharman also visited the Mission Education programme's Health and
Care centre at Shri Ram J.J. Camp in Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi, to
interact with the child beneficiaries. He encouraged the kids to
get education before doing anything else in life and also matched
steps with the children on a song they had prepared specially for
him.
|

Priyanka
Chopra spreads Smiles on International Girl Child Day
Bollywood
actress Priyanka Chopra joined Smile Foundation's mission
to ensure quality education for all, on International Day
for the Girl Child, celebrated worldwide on October 11.
Promoting the cause of girl child
education, Priyanka visited Smile Foundation's Mission Education
centre in Mumbai.
She interacted at length with the
girl students at the centre, talking about the significant
place of girl children in our society and emphasizing on
the education of girls as they play multiple roles in the
development of society.
At present, 51% of the total beneficiaries enrolled at Mission
Education centres across the country are girls.
|
|
|
Priyanka
shares a laugh with girl children at ME centre in Mumbai |

Lauren
dons Santa cap for Smile kids
Lauren
celebrates Christmas in its true spirit of joy and giving |
|
International
celebrity dancer, Bollywood actor and first runner up of dance show
Jhalak Dikhla Ja, Lauren Gottlieb, joined Smile Foundation's children
in Mumbai by becoming their “Special Santa”.
Delighted to be amongst the kids, Lauren expressed,
“It is my first Christmas away from my family. I am missing
my home and people very much so this is best way to celebrate Christmas,
amongst these children. With their innocence, warmth and smile I
am feel like I am a part of their family. It feels great to be associated
with Smile Foundation and be a reason for these kids to Smile.”
Smiling in her red Santa cap, Lauren did a cake cutting with the
kids and also distributed Christmas gifts to them. She also tapped
feet with the kids on a track from her movie.
|

Ankur
and Sangeeta “Climb for Smile”
Supporting
a noble cause in a unique way, Gurgaon based couple Ankur
and Sangeeta Bahl flagged off their 'Climb for Smile' mountaineering
initiative in support of Smile Foundation on December 20.
The couple plans to climb the seven summits to raise awareness
among the privileged society towards the cause of child
education.
The summit was flagged off at Smile
Foundation's Mission Education Programme centre NEEV in
Gurgaon where the couple not only interacted with the kids,
but also shared mountaineering tips with them and showed
them an informative movie on mountaineering.
Appreciating Ankur and Sangeeta's efforts, Mr. Vikram Singh
Verma, COO, Smile Foundation reiterated the organization's
belief that real change can only happen when the civil society
actively participates in the process of development.
|
|
|
Sangeeta
and Ankur flag off their 'Climb for Smile' with Smile kids |

Mantri
S.E.V.A and Smile Go Green
A
Mantri employee receives appreciation certificate from Smile Foundation
for participating in the awareness drive |
|
Mantri
S.E.V.A along with Smile Foundation did a sensitization drive for
their employees to promote a responsible attitude towards environment.
The celebrations were held at their corporate office by conducting
an employee engagement activity as part of which a table top plant
was gifted to all Mantri employees.
A graffiti wall was placed at various Mantri
properties where people wrote their resolutions and pledged to Go
Green. Flower themed paintings were exhibited and put for sale online,
as well as at the Mantri Mall; the proceeds for which went towards
supporting the education of underprivileged children, under Smile
Foundation's Mission Education programme.
The “green” concept was promoted further by following
a green dress code and food menu. Employees were also engaged in
the task of creating something useful out of waste materials, to
encourage recycling of resources.
|
GO TO TOP
|