Birthday Girl Catriona Gray Turns Her Celebration Into ₱442K Donation for Kids With Cleft Lips
Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray just proved na hindi lang siya maganda sa labas — maganda rin ang puso niya. Instead of asking for designer gifts or throwing a lavish party, the Filipina-Australian beauty queen used her birthday to raise funds for Smile Train Philippines, collecting a whopping ₱442,500 for children born with cleft conditions.
Gray personally turned over the funds raised through her birthday fundraiser to Smile Train Philippines representatives. "Thank you to everyone who donated towards my birthday fundraiser this year," she shared on social media, adding a heartfelt note about how the contributions will make a real difference in children's lives.
The funds will go towards various medical procedures and treatments for Smile Train Philippines beneficiaries — children who need cleft lip and palate surgeries that their families often cannot afford. Each surgery can cost as little as ₱20,000 but can change a child's entire life, giving them the ability to eat, speak, and smile with confidence.
This isn't the first time Catriona has used her platform for charity. The former beauty queen has long been an advocate for Smile Train, even criticizing the Miss Universe organization recently for dropping its formal charity partnerships. "I've always believed in the potential of pageantry — that we could be agents for good," she said in a recent interview.
Gray, who has been making headlines lately for her candid thoughts on love in her thirties and her acting debut, continues to prove that real beauty is about how much you give back. Her fans and supporters flooded her posts with praise, calling her "the queen we don't deserve" and "a true Filipina role model."
Source: ABS-CBN
