AdventHealth Foundation Central Florida is proud to recognize George Lewis and Tom Fitch as Volunteers of the Month for July 2023 for their philanthropic work with Sharing Smiles. Sharing Smiles provides cleft lip and palate treatment, comprehensive dental care and individualized pediatric rehabilitation programs to children overseas with the help of philanthropic support.
Tom retired after a lifetime of working in finance for a Fortune 300 company but now offers his talents to furthering non-profit initiatives through a deep involvement in Rotary. Both Tom and George are active members of the Venice Nokomis (FL) Rotary Club. Together, they initiated the Rotary’s first international project, the Rotary International (RI) Global Grant that provides financial support to Sharing Smiles.
George’s long-term career in philanthropy brought clean water to over 2 million people. At age 89, George now supports Sharing Smiles, “I help by raising funds for the grant. I paint pet portraits and all the net proceeds go into the grant.” Since 2006, George has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and painted over 580 pet portraits.
This project has grown and now provides two grants to support the mission, “When we train physicians and health care professionals in-country, or provide equipment , we leave a sustaining impact to the region. Our RI Global Grants, partnered with AdventHealth and Sharing Smiles, ensure that sustainability is a prerequisite for funding,” shared Tom as he spoke to the impact.
“Sharing Smiles is changing lives no doubt, “shared Tom. We are beyond grateful for the incredible legacy that Tom and George have made on the Foundation.
