A smile is worth a thousand words. The smile of Marlen tells how she struggles to show it but is too embarrassed because of the state of her teeth.  

Marlen is a naturally energetic and happy girl that likes to laugh, a lot. So she's showing of her smile a lot whether she means to or not, but while she's showing of her smile she's also showing her crooked teeth. And she becomes self-conscious whenever someone points it out. The obvious answer to this problem would be braces. You get braces, you fix the teeth, simple. The problem lays with paying for the braces.

Marlen is one of five, myself included, being raised by single mom. With so many kids money tight everywhere. The government insurance, Medicaid, that's supposed to help those in poverty level doesn't cover the cost of braces anymore so it left up to the family to foot the $6000 bill for braces. As her sister, I am trying to pay for the cost by working but it is not enough.

That is why I am asking everyone to help brighten my sister's smile by donating to reach the goal of $3000. I am hoping to reach this goal by the end of the summer, around July or August, so that my sister can enter her school year with a brand new smile.