Operation Smile to Honor the Simpson Family, Stephen Berman, the Honorable Richard J. Riordan, Roselyn Sanchez and Eric Winter at 8th Annual Smile Gala in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Operation Smile, a worldwide children's medical charity, will honor Jessica, Ashlee, Tina and Joe Simpson, Stephen Berman of JAKKS Pacific, the Honorable Richard J. Riordan, Roselyn Sanchez and Eric Winter at its 8th Annual Smile Gala, October 2, 2009, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Access Hollywood's Billy Bush will host and international teen singing sensation Charice Pempengco will perform.

Operation Smile Co-founders, Dr. Bill and Kathy Magee, will present the Simpson family with the Operation Smile Founders Circle Award. Jessica, Ashlee, Tina and Joe Simpson have proven their dedication to improving the lives of children throughout the world suffering from facial deformities. Jessica is a Smile Ambassador and attended an Operation Smile medical mission to Kenya with her father Joe in October, 2005.

The Universal Smile Award will be presented to Roselyn Sanchez and Eric Winter. Roselyn and Eric are both Smile Ambassadors and attended a medical mission to Managua, Nicaragua, in 2008.

The Wallis Annenberg Public Service Award will be presented to the Honorable Richard J. Riordan. An established and highly respected attorney, entrepreneur and philanthropist before entering public service, Riordan served two terms as the Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993 to 2001 and California Secretary of Education from December 2003 to June 2005.

The Corporate Humanitarian Award will be presented to Stephen Berman of JAKKS Pacific. Stephen Berman is president and co-CEO of JAKKS Pacific, the third largest toy company in America. Berman has been a dedicated corporate humanitarian, committed to paying it forward to help children in need all over the world. He created JAKKS Cares, the philanthropic division of JAKKS Pacific.

Founded in 1982, Operation Smile, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, is a worldwide children's medical charity whose network of global volunteers are dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children and young adults. Operation Smile volunteers have treated more than 135,000 children born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities and currently work in 51 countries. In addition to contributing free medical treatments, Operation Smile trains local medical professionals in its partner countries and leaves behind crucial equipment for long-term self-sufficiency. For information, please visit www.operationsmile.org.

SOURCE Operation Smile

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http://www.operationsmile.org