Crowley and Isaac's Mom
MISSION CRITICAL Crowley (right) arrived to find that Isaac's condition was dire. Her efforts saved his life. (Photo Credits: Joseph Kariuki)
Last year, Cate Crowley, Professor of Practice and Director of TC's Communications Sciences & Disorders Program and Bilingual Extension Institute, was attending a conference in Kenya when she learned about Isaac, a child in a remote village who had been born with a cleft lip. Crowley, who has been honored for her humanitarian work in annually leading teams of TC students to help children and families in developing nations, ended up scrapping vacation plans after traveling to the village and finding that Isaac, who also had a cleft palate, was severely malnourished. She was able to help connect the family with Smile Train, the world's largest charity devoted to helping children born with cleft palate, an intervention that helped save the youngster's life. Crowley's account of that experience, which appears on Smile Train's website, underscores that cleft palate is more than a cosmetic or even social issue, and highlights the urgency of the organization's work.
Click here to read Crowley's story on the Smile Train website.