Career Journey
A Passion for Celebrating Differences, Choosing Kindness
and Learning to Find the Good in All
An Interview with Dina Zuckerberg, Director of Family Programs for myFace
July 2021
and Learning to Find the Good in All
An Interview with Dina Zuckerberg, Director of Family Programs for myFace
July 2021
Photo Courtesy: myFace
In the U.S., approximately 600,000 people have been diagnosed with a craniofacial condition and, each year, the faces of another 100,000 people are disfigured through accident or disease.
For 70 years, the nonprofit organization myFace has been dedicated to changing the faces – and transforming the lives – of these children and adults by providing access to holistic comprehensive care, education, resources and support that pave the way for better outcomes.
Services and resources provided by myFace include:
Families can connect with myFace through Facebook groups for craniofacial conditions, by word of mouth, and by hospital referral.
Carol Lippert Gray, a regular contributor for Sanctuary, spoke with Dina Zuckerberg about her personal journey and her role as Director of Family Programs for myFace.
For 70 years, the nonprofit organization myFace has been dedicated to changing the faces – and transforming the lives – of these children and adults by providing access to holistic comprehensive care, education, resources and support that pave the way for better outcomes.
Services and resources provided by myFace include:
- Through support of the myFace Center for Craniofacial Care at NYU Langone Health in New York, myFace ensures that individuals and families have access to state-of-the-art, personalized team care.
- myFace also provides direct services that meet the day-to-day needs of the craniofacial community, including peer-led support groups, delivery of craniofacial newborn care kits, and complimentary flights and housing for out-of-town families seeking treatment in New York.
- myFace provides access to education through topic-specific webinars, workshops, online resources and content, and strives to raise critical public awareness about craniofacial differences through programs such as its Wonder Project, which helps to educate the general public on the importance of celebrating uniqueness and always choosing to be kind.
- myFace aims to provide individuals and families with the care, tools, and information they need to successfully navigate their journey and let them know they are never alone.
Families can connect with myFace through Facebook groups for craniofacial conditions, by word of mouth, and by hospital referral.
Carol Lippert Gray, a regular contributor for Sanctuary, spoke with Dina Zuckerberg about her personal journey and her role as Director of Family Programs for myFace.
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What is your role?
myFace’s mission reflects my passion, and my passion reflects the mission. As director of family programs, I bring my life experience of growing up with a craniofacial difference to the programs that I help implement for the individuals and families we serve. Whether it’s through our emotional support groups, online educational series, family networking events or public awareness initiatives, my goal is to advocate for the craniofacial community and make sure their voices are heard. I want everyone with a facial difference to know myFace is here for them, and that they are not alone. I’m thrilled to call myFace my family. Would you mind sharing your story?
I was born with a cleft lip and hearing loss in both ears. I have no vision in my left eye. I tell kids it has never stopped me; it’s all I’ve ever known. I had six surgeries, speech therapy and orthodontics growing up. |
Dina Speaking at an Event
Photo Courtesy: myFace |
I was teased and stared at, and kids said mean things. I sat alone in the lunchroom and on the school bus. I was picked last for team sports in gym. But it made me stronger and more resilient. I wouldn’t do what I do today and be so passionate about it without this experience. I believe it has shaped who I am.
I was a patient at NYU for many years, and my parents learned about myFace. About 30 years ago, I was told about the Inner Faces adult group started by three young women with craniofacial conditions. I was reluctant to join but met a woman at a fundraiser who insisted I go to the next meeting. It changed my life. The group started writing a show called “Let’s Face the Music,” and it was performed at the One Dream Theater in Tribeca [a neighborhood in Manhattan]. For me and for many of us, it was our first time on stage and the first time sharing our stories.
What else in your background prepared you for this job? Were you an education major in college?
I majored in American studies and worked as a paralegal. I worked for the Authors’ Guild and thought I’d open a bookstore/café one day. Then, I worked for eight years in private wealth management at Goldman Sachs. But a little over seven years ago, I learned of an opening at myFace. I wanted to let kids and families know they’re not alone; there is support for them. I recently received an award from the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association for the work I do.
How has your work been affected by the pandemic?
Our new executive director started just before the pandemic and has a wonderful vision for the organization.
We used to serve our community in the New York Tri-State area [New York, New Jersey and Connecticut], but we’ve grown and can reach more people. We now have a webinar series. Through our Wonder Project, we have been able to reach over 10,000 students.
This month we will launch a podcast, MyFace, My Story: Voices from the Craniofacial Community. It will be on our YouTube channel and available through Spotify and other media channels. The first episode will be about the masks we wear. Masks have become a great leveler for us. What does it mean when everyone wears one? What happens when you remove it? What’s behind the mask?
What’s in the future for you and the organization?
I majored in American studies and worked as a paralegal. I worked for the Authors’ Guild and thought I’d open a bookstore/café one day. Then, I worked for eight years in private wealth management at Goldman Sachs. But a little over seven years ago, I learned of an opening at myFace. I wanted to let kids and families know they’re not alone; there is support for them. I recently received an award from the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association for the work I do.
How has your work been affected by the pandemic?
Our new executive director started just before the pandemic and has a wonderful vision for the organization.
We used to serve our community in the New York Tri-State area [New York, New Jersey and Connecticut], but we’ve grown and can reach more people. We now have a webinar series. Through our Wonder Project, we have been able to reach over 10,000 students.
This month we will launch a podcast, MyFace, My Story: Voices from the Craniofacial Community. It will be on our YouTube channel and available through Spotify and other media channels. The first episode will be about the masks we wear. Masks have become a great leveler for us. What does it mean when everyone wears one? What happens when you remove it? What’s behind the mask?
What’s in the future for you and the organization?
Photo Courtesy: myFace
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The pandemic has shown us we can reach so many more people virtually — in Canada, Australia, and across the country — and we’re growing the program in ways we never could have imagined. We have our Welcome Baby Craniofacial Care Kits for newborns, with special bottles, pacifiers, etc. for families who need them. These are distributed through eight or nine craniofacial centers throughout the country.
I think we’ll be a hybrid of online and in-person as we move forward. We hope to become the number one resource for families nationally. What are you most proud of? I’m most proud of the Wonder Project. We educate kids about differences, choosing kindness, and not being bystanders. We’ve reached over 30,000 students. I love seeing the impact on kids and reading the messages I get afterward from kids. No child should ever have to go through what I did. |
Kindness begins when you explain to children that we are all different in many ways. We have to find the good in each of us and find the good within us.
Where do you find sanctuary?
I find sanctuary in writing, my work and watching movies.
Where do you find sanctuary?
I find sanctuary in writing, my work and watching movies.
Carol Lippert Gray is an award-winning public relations professional and longtime freelance writer and editor. Her career has spanned books, newspapers, magazines, broadcast, and online media in fields as diverse as crafts and corporate finance, parenting and philanthropy. She is also an associate editor for Sanctuary.
