Hiking boots are broken in, camping gear is purchased, one thousand pounds of medical supplies are packed and this week 14 trekkers will depart for Peru to hike the famed Inca Trail.

These adventurous individuals will embark on a journey of a lifetime. Their purpose: to create awareness about the hundreds of thousands of children in developing countries who suffer as social outcasts because they have been born with clefts.

Next week, 50 children of Cusco, Peru will receive the gift of new smile as a result of the fundraising efforts of these trekkers! In the space of 45 minutes and for just $500, a life is transformed.

On behalf of the kids served by Smile Network international, we would like to personally thank our trekkers: Lila Tully, Rik Lalim, Natasha Freimark, Ann Lori, Laurie and Emma Wondra, Lisa Elm, Robby Metcalf, Nancy Peterson, Sue Hawkes, Kevin, Summer, and Alexandra Stieglbauer and Quinton Coffman for lacing up their hiking boots and committing to this journey!

Follow along on the 26-mile Inca Trail as they ascend to 13,500 feet to Dead Woman’s Pass and then on to the spectacular site of Machu Picchu. Their journey will culminate at the mission site in Cusco, Peru where they will see firsthand the life-changing surgeries and meet the children and families served by Smile Network.