Greenlawn Girl, 9, Born With Cleft Lip is Funding Surgeries for Children Less Fortunate

Ella Pastorelli, a 9-year-old from Greenlawn who was born with a cleft lip, has raised more than $100,000 throughout her life to provide surgeries for children less fortunate.

Ella’s parents were able to provide a corrective surgery for her when she was just four months old, but many children across the world do not have the opportunity to get this necessary surgery. These children with unrepaired clefts can become ostracized by their communities and can oftentimes be unable to attend school, get a job, or get married.

The Pastorelli’s decided to give these children the second change that Ella had.

Ella has been holding a lemonade stand for the past nine years to raise funds for Smile Train, an international children’s charity that provides free cleft lip and palate surgeries to children in developing countries.

She has raised $107,475 over the years, which is enough for about 430 surgeries, through her lemonade stand. The minimum cost to provide a full surgery for a child is $250, according to Smile Train.

Ella’s Lemonade Stand has become a full-blown block party community event, complete with food and raffles.
Stop by Ella’s Lemonade Stand, located at 38 East Maple Road in Greenlawn, on Sunday. The event is held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In 2015 alone, the lemonade stand raised $21,000 and Ella is looking to beat that fundraising number this year.

Photo: Ella pictured with Smile Train’s CEO, Susannah Schaefer at last year’s event. Courtesy of Smile Train