Dowagiac Rotary Club contributions to Alliance for Smiles will enable two children to receive free reconstructive surgery for cleft lips or palates.

After Wilber Breseman of Marcellus reported on the San Francisco nonprofit organization with which he has made 15 trips in six years to China, Africa, Bangladesh and the Philippines, fellow club member Dr. Fred L. Mathews challenged Rotarians to donate $500, which he would match.

Rotarians chipped in $595 since May 23, so Mathews wrote a $500 check.

Breseman presented his own $1,000 check for a program that is “pretty dear to my heart. One thing I didn’t mention in my presentation last week is when a baby is born with this anomaly, in many cultures these babies are considered ‘cursed’ or ‘evil.’ A large percentage of them are killed right away. So, not only are your donations going to help a young child, it’s probably going to save their life.”