About Kristy’s Smile, Inc. (a non-profit organization)

Keeping alive the spirit and kindness of Kristy Irvine-Ryan, who was lost in the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001, Kristy’s Smile www.kristyssmile.org is a charitable organization that benefits individuals in need and their families on Long Island.

Did You Know?

Children who enter kindergarten without the benefit of preschool are already significantly behind their peers who have gone to preschool. Imagine being a candidate for failure at the age of 5!  Through the services of Family Service League www.fsli-li.org , Kristy’s Smile will help provide local at-risk 4 year-olds with the skills they need to enter and succeed in public school.  Social workers from FSL also assist the parents by promoting the healthy physical, intellectual, and social development of their children. By providing such items and services as vocational training, rent arrears, food, one time prescription care, ESL (English as a second language class which is provided on site), and many others, FSL has given thousands of families a chance to become self efficient. The Family Service League NEVER gives its clients funds directly, and determines its recipients based on a family’s unmet needs and their ability to make payments following assistance.

Helping an Impoverished Community

The percentage of people living in Brentwood, Long Island at or below the poverty level is a staggering 80%, and the percentage of children who need subsidized lunch money is well over 90%.  The Family Service League is addressing this problem by building a Community Center that will be a preschool by day and a family service center by night.  When preschool is over (2:30-3:00), the center will open for such things as homework help, mentoring and recreational activities. This year, Kristy’s Smile will rebuild this community center by furnishing it’s classrooms with school desks, text books, art supplies, computers, etc…

History

In 1999, Meredith (O'Neill) Hassett, a school teacher in Harlem, encountered many families in need of basic necessities like furniture and household supplies. Together with childhood friends from Huntington, Long Island, Kristy (Irvine) Ryan and Louise (Rexer) Smith, Meredith created Secret Smiles. By secretly providing such items as couches, beds, and groceries to families who were living without such basic amenities, Secret Smiles has helped more than 450 families.

Out of 9/11, Came Kristy’s Smile

In 2001, Kristy's Smile became a fund within Secret Smiles to help families that lost a parent in the attacks on the World Trade Center. We wanted to help children find joy again and to see that there are still good people in the world. We hoped to allow children to grieve and recover as best as they could, whatever that process might be. With Kristy in mind, we helped children partake in special activities like the Knick’s Basketball Camp. We sent many children on a special ambassador program to other countries, which enabled them to experience life in other cultures and broaden their views on the world. We also hosted the annual Windows of Hope Christmas Party. This again brought smiles to young faces that had experienced such deep pain. In 2006, Kristy’s Smile has changed its focus to poverty on Long Island.

Fundraising Events

Kristy’s Smile will host this year’s annual golf outing in memory of Kristy Irvine-Ryan with all proceeds benefiting Kristy’s Smile.  The event will be held at Colonial Springs Golf Course in Farmingdale, New York, on Monday, September 18th.  If you don’t play golf, we invite you to our dinner and cocktail hour featuring both a silent and live auction as well as a fantastic raffle, cocktails and dinner.  It has been and will continue to be, a joyous occasion filled with acts of kindness, love, and generosity – what a fitting way to honor the life and memory of our beloved Kristin Irvine-Ryan!