Align Technology’s UK and Ireland team get on their bikes for Operation Smile
NewsPosted by: Dental Design 2nd September 2021
Align Technology’s UK and Ireland employees have organised a series of eight fund raising events to amass £50,000 for Operation Smile by the end of 2021.
The headline fundraiser will see a convoy of Align team members, cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats – an epic road trip of 921 miles over 10 days from 11th – 20th September. The team of cyclists will make pit stops at Invisalign practices en route from where they will also report their progress. The team of mixed ability riders have been training physically and psychologically to prepare themselves for the tough challenge they have set themselves. They have also set themselves a target of raising £25,000 for the cycling challenge.
Dan Parsons, Director of Marketing for the UK and Ireland, one of the ride participants explained: “We decided to embark on this cycling adventure as part of a major fund-raising initiative for Operation Smile, Align’s long-standing charity partner organisation, and for which we have enormous admiration for the work they carry out. According to Operation Smile, in the UK, babies are screened prenatally, with a cleft lip or cleft palate diagnosis made before they are born. The first repair operation is done between 8-12 weeks, and the second at 8-10 months. As a result, children are able to live a normal life. In resource-poor countries, infants born with cleft conditions have nine times the risk of dying within the first year of life. They may be rejected by their families or communities. They may be unable to feed or have problems speaking due to the hole in the roof of their mouth. We feel enormously privileged to be able to help people in the UK and Ireland achieve the smile of their dreams, and this initiative is a way we can help those less able to access the help they need to achieve a life-changing smile.”
Whilst Dr Maria Moore, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Operation Smile UK, commented: “As a dentist myself, I worked closely with Align and the Invisalign system for many years and I’m now so thrilled to see this relationship with Operation Smile going from strength to strength. For me we have the perfect collaboration partnership due to a simple but beautiful synergy in our missions, transforming smiles and changing people’s lives. This phenomenal total of £50,000 (including £25,000 from the cycle ride alone) to be raised by Align’s UK and Ireland team this year will do just that. The team’s incredible efforts will help Operation Smile to positively transform the lives of hundreds of children with cleft lip and cleft palate conditions all over the world. On behalf of our patients and their families, I cannot thank Align enough for what will be truly life-changing support. I wish the best of luck to all of the team taking part. Enjoy that pedaling!”
The charity ride schedule runs as follows:
- 11 September Set off from Lands End to Bodmin – 65 miles
- 12 September Bodmin to Whiddon Down – 57 miles
- 13 September Whiddon Down to Wookey Hole – 76 miles
- 14 September Wookey Hole to Ludlow – 100 miles
- 15 September Ludlow to Chorley – 114 miles
- 16 September Chorley to Carlisle – 100 miles
- 17 September Carlisle to Cumbernauld – 109 miles
- 18 September Cumbernauld to Fort William – 113 miles
- 19 September Fort William to Dornoch – 107 miles
- 20 September Dornoch to John O’Groats – 80 miles
Other fund raising initiatives Align team members have signed up for include five people taking part in The Great North Run, two contestant participating in an Iron Man competition in Finland, and another who is embarking on a three-day trek in the Lake District. Company-wide activities include a sweepstake on the European Football Championships, a charity auction, General Manager Car Wash and a comedy night at the organisation’s sales conference.
If you would like to support the team achieve their goal of raising £25,000 from the cycling challenge by making a donation and following their progress, please follow the link: https://aligntech.enthuse.com/pf/align-cycling-team.
Align Technology has supported Operation Smile worldwide for a number of years and donated over $2.5 million to date, sharing a simple yet powerful synergy in mission: to transform smiles and change lives.
