PRA Group Sends Volunteers to Operation Smile for an Opportunity to Learn and Serve Others

NORFOLK, VA – One of every 600 newborns is affected by cleft lip or cleft palate, the two most common birth defects in the U.S., according to the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association. With July being Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness Month, volunteers from PRA Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: PRAA), a global financial services company, found a unique way to give back to long-time partner serving individuals with cleft lip or cleft palate, Operation Smile. 
 

Earlier today, representatives from PRA Group’s Hampton Roads team toured Operation Smile’s new Interactive Learning Center (ILC), an exhibit designed to teach the community about the challenges patients of Operation Smile must overcome. After PRA Group volunteers participated in this immersive experience about culture, medicine and geography, they helped pack Smile Bags—a key component of Operation Smile’s patient care process. 
 

After cleft lip or cleft palate surgery, each child is given a Smile Bag to help cheer them up throughout the healing process. All Smile Bags contain personal care items, art supplies, a stuffed animal and a handheld mirror—so they can get the most enjoyment out of their new smile. Knowing that today’s gesture will impact the lives of children all over the world is something that PRA Group and its employees are thrilled about.

“PRA Group is excited to support Operation Smile’s education and awareness initiatives through the new Interactive Learning Center (ILC), where the community can build connections with Operation Smile’s patients and learn how to apply their knowledge to make a difference,” said Chris Graves, the company’s global investments and analytics officer. “I had the opportunity to tour the ILC and the experience was truly immersive. It is an impressive entry point into Operation Smile’s work.”

Through every company endeavor, PRA Group strives to find and solve the biggest problems that people are facing every day, both at home and abroad. Regular partnership opportunities with Operation Smile remain one of the many ways that PRA expresses care and gives back to the community.

Last year, PRA Group donated $100,000 to Operation Smile to help the organization maintain their mission to be a global network of cleft lip and cleft palate treatment experts that provides safe, surgical solutions in more than 30 countries worldwide.

To stay up to date about PRA Group’s work in the community and company culture, follow us on LinkedIn at PRA Group (Nasdaq: PRAA) and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @PRAGroupInc.