Linda's Miles for Smiles

After a year of delay I have finally been able to complete a magnificent journey.  In conjunction with a charity I greatly admire and support, Smile Network International, I have completed my trek on the Camino De Santiago. My goal in this endeavor was to raise awareness and funds for Smile Network.

Smile Network International provides surgeries for impoverished children to restore joy and dignity to their lives.  They are a non-profit, humanitarian organization that provides, free of charge, life-altering surgeries for children and young adults around the world.  For $500 Smile Network is able to repair a child’s birth defect of a cleft lip and/or palate.

Tens of thousands of people each year set out on foot to make their way to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, a historic pilgrimage route.   This September I completed the Portuguese Route, a trek of over 75 miles through the beautiful countryside of Spain and Portugal.  I have paid 100% of my expenses so that 100% of any donations made in my name are applied to a child’s surgery and are fully tax deductible.

Under normal circumstances I would have asked for pledges in advance of my trek.  Due to the continuing uncertainty of international travel I opted to delay my request for support until I was certain my trip would actually take place.