Funding the Future: Paul and Donna Jalbert Ensure Their Continued Support with Bequest to Smile Train

Paul Jalbert and his beloved late wife, Donna, began giving to Smile Train after he saw an ad featuring a child with a cleft. “My heart went out to that child,” Paul says. “You can transform a life so significantly with a relatively insignificant amount of money. Some cleft-affected children don’t want to go to school because of the bullying. The cleft treatment means they will not be teased or ostracized.”

In addition to Paul’s plan to fund a surgery each year for the rest of his life, he has also made a bequest to Smile Train in his will to ensure that his and Donna’s support endures beyond his lifetime.

“If you want to make a tremendous difference in an individual’s life, a simple corrective surgery completely changes their life for decades,” Paul says. “It improves their confidence, giving them the ability to live their best lives. I think of the much better lives the children and their families will have due to the surgery, and it gives me joy that I’ve made such a positive impact.”

Now retired, Paul took advantage of his employer’s gift-matching program when he worked for General Electric, allowing him to fund one surgery, but have the impact of two. “I encourage everyone who works for a company with such a program to take advantage of it — in essence providing two surgeries for the price of one!”

Paul hopes others will consider the legacies they could leave by supporting Smile Train. “I always hoped to leave the earth a little better than when I came in,” he concludes. “Supporting Smile Train allows me to make a positive impact in the world and gives me the satisfaction of making a difference in the life of someone very young who will benefit for a lifetime.”