More Than A Smile Foundation

Our Challenge

 Behind the smiles of the youth and families we serve are stories shaped by poverty, displacement, and injustice. The families who walk through our doors face systemic challenges that reach far beyond numbers on a report. Nearly every family we serve lives below the poverty line, navigating daily obstacles to access basic human needs—safe housing, nutritious food, quality education, healthcare, and reliable transportation. Many of them are navigating a new country, new systems, and new expectations—all while carrying the trauma of what they’ve left behind and the uncertainty of what lies ahead.

100% of our youth are first- or second-generation immigrants or refugees. Many are shouldering adult responsibilities far too young—caring for siblings, translating for parents, helping their families survive while trying to find their own identities in unfamiliar spaces. They face cultural disconnection, language barriers, and educational gaps that traditional systems are not designed to address. 

Our Solution

At More Than A Smile Foundation, we don’t just respond to needs; we walk alongside families with dignity, empathy, and action. Our approach is built from the inside out: designed by people who have lived these same challenges, and powered by a belief that community holds the key to transformation. We meet families where they are—at their doorsteps, on the soccer field, in community centers, and through our mobile walking office—offering not just programs, but relationships rooted in trust. 

Our model works because we honor culture, center lived experience, and never lose sight of the whole person. We serve over 200 families each year with a growing network of youth leaders, mothers, mentors, and community champions. Together, we are proving that a smile can be more than a mask—it can be a milestone. 

Our Story

 The More Than A Smile story began with one mother, one grocery store, and one deep desire to make sure no child felt alone. Our founder, Amina Shale, a Somali Bantu refugee who grew up interpreting for her family and navigating complex systems, saw firsthand the challenges immigrant and refugee families face—language barriers, cultural disconnection, lack of resources, and limited access to opportunity. 

What started as a small volunteer tutoring effort inside her family-owned corner store has grown into a powerful community-led nonprofit serving thousands. We began because we knew what it felt like to struggle in silence. We continue because we now know the power of what happens when community wraps around its people. We exist for every child who needs a mentor. Every mom who needs support. Every family who needs a hand and found a village instead.