Great Neck Teen Raises Nearly $4K For Kids With Cleft Conditions

GREAT NECK, NY — Fueled by his passion for sports and desire to help others, a Great Neck teenager has raised nearly $4,000 for Operation Smile through a unique fundraiser that encourages people to show off their athleticism.

Jared Ohebshalom, a senior at Great Neck North High School, has spent the last few months encouraging his friends to participate in his virtual "Smile Shot Challenge" and help raise money for people with cleft lips and palates. The money would go to Operation Smile — a global nonprofit that provides free reconstructive cleft surgery to people around the world.

Similar to the Ice Bucket Challenge — which took the Internet by storm in 2014 and raised millions for ALS research — people participating in the Smile Shot Challenge were encouraged to post a video of their best shot in any sport online and nominate three others to do the same.

"What do you do when you make a great shot? You smile! What do you do when you see a great shot? You smile!" Ohebshalom, a three-sport varsity athlete, said. "Operation Smile helps people around the world who are born with cleft conditions to express the same reaction. This is a way to give back and for our community to share their best shots and have fun doing so."

In August, as a capstone event to his Smile Shot Challenge, Ohebshalom invited members of the community for a basketball game in Kings Point. The challenge was similar to the game of "HORSE" — but instead of getting a letter toward the word "horse" after missing a basket, a player got a letter when they made a shot and their opponent missed. The goal was to win by spelling out the word "smile."

"It was a very successful event with over 30 participants, and we raised $3,500 for Operation Smile," Ohebshalom said. "Nassau County Executive (Laura) Curran and New York State Assembly Member (Gina) Sillitti even came to the event to show their support. Everyone had a lot of fun!"

According to officials, the $3,500 that Jared raised through his GoFundMe page will help 14 children receive free constructive cleft surgery through Operation Smile.