Keep Hope Alive Fundraiser

Simply Smiles, a Westport-based charity organization, is hosting its annual “Keep Hope Alive” fundraising event on Saturday, April 1st at the Essex Steam Train River Valley Junction Hall in Essex, Connecticut. The fundraiser will honor Paula Merrick of Ivoryton, CT for her continued dedication to Simply Smiles. Since 2009, Merrick has traveled four times to the organization's program locations, working with indigenous children and families on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation in South Dakota and in the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico. The event will begin at 7:00 PM with a cocktail hour with complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres. At 8:00, Bryan Nurnberger, founder of Simply Smiles, will briefly outline some of the organization’s current youth and community development initiatives, including efforts to educate Native youth in South Dakota and to eradicate parasitic infection in the mountains of Mexico. Guests at the event will have the opportunity to donate any amount to support Simply Smiles projects. There is no cost to attend, and the event is open to all. Simply Smiles requests that guests RSVP for Keep Hope Alive at www.simplysmiles.org.