Supporting Operation Smile & a $50 Credit Giveaway from CampusBookRentals.com

I wanted to use my post today to tell you about a great organization helping children around the world smile bigger and brighter, and to introduce you to a company that is helping to make those smiles happen.

Operation Smile is an international children's medical charity that heals children's smiles, forever changing their lives.

Every three minutes a child is born with a cleft - often unable to eat, speak, socialize or smile. In some places these children are shunned and rejected. And in too many cases, their parents can't afford to give them the surgeries they need to live a normal life.

That's where Operation Smile comes in as an international charity providing much needed surgical services. Since 1982, Operation Smile - through the help of dedicated medical volunteers - has provided more than 2 million patient evaluations and over 200,000 free surgeries for children and young adults born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities in over 60 countries.

Image from Operation Smile

In these photos you can see what a difference Operation Smile doctors can make in the life of a child.  Personally, I think the transformation is nothing short of amazing.  I can only imagine the impact that Operation Smile has had on this child, her parents and their community.  To see more unforgettable transformations, click here to see patient stories.

Additionally, while the main focus of Operation Smile is international, they haven't forgotten about those here in the US impacted by a cleft or facial deformity.  Operation Smile has developed a US Care Network with resources and referrals for those families living here in the US.

Here is where CampusBookRentals.com figures into Operation Smile and their mission. 


They have created their Making a Difference Program to support Operation Smile and its mission to heal children's smiles.  Through this program CampusBookRentals.com has committed to donating enough money to cover a minimum of 1,000 life changing surgeries. Of course they hope to surpass that number with their customer's help. 

To meet, and beat, their goal through the Making A Difference Program portion of the proceed of EVERY book rented will be donated to Operation Smile for medical missions, education and training, and building sef-sufficient programs in developing countries along with all the other work Operation Smile tackles.  So add that extra book to your cart and help bring another child a beautiful smile. 

While CampusBookRentals.com has been helping students keep their book costs down since 2007 (I SO wish something like had been around when I was in school), you don't need to be a student to rent books.  So if you don't have a college student in your life or you just want to check out some books on Clothing Design or Furniture Refinishing or  Organic Gardening or Theoretical Physics (in case you want to try and follow what Sheldon is doing on TBBT), this is the place to go.  Personally, I like the idea that I could get a book on Woodworking Projects and instead of the 2 weeks I get from my local library, I can keep whatever book I choose for up to 130 days and, maybe, actually make some of the projects.

Each person who leaves a comment will be entered in the drawing for a $50 credit at CampusBookRentals.com.  Additional entries for becoming a Follower of Claiming Our Space via RSS, Bloglovin or Google Connect, following on Twitter and/or Pinterest and for following CampusBookRentals on Twitter @textbookrentals and/or on Facebook.  Just let me know in your post where you are following.

Entries for this drawing will be accepted until Wednesday, May 9, 2012.  The winner will be announced on Thursday, May 10.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This giveaway and its prize are sponsored by CampusBookRentals.com. All opinions are 100% mine and I was not financially compensated to write this post. However, my family and I have donated to Operation Smile in the past.**