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June 2009 | dentalproductsreport.com TeamSmile thriving, Non-profit organization adds events in 2009 thanks to plenty of support from dental manufacturers, volunteers, pro sports
But that is not the case with TeamSmile, a non-profit organization that plans to expand this year and help as many needy children get dental care as it can. TeamSmile, a dental outreach and flagship program of Henry Schein Cares, kicked off the 2009 calendar year with an event tied to college football’s East-West Shrine Game in Houston back in January. Now it’s ready to kick off a full slate of professional baseball, football and golf events this summer and fall, starting up with a July 17 event with the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium, and followed up with a Milwaukee Brewers event the following week at Miller Stadium. For specific times and registration information visit the TeamSmile Website. Henry Schein’s Jason Krause, who co-founded TeamSmile along with Dr. Bill Busch of the North Kansas City Dental Group (drbusch.com), said it’s a testament to the good cause and a great dental community that TeamSmile is expanding even in tough economic times. “In an economic downturn it’s amazing to see people still sticking with their philosophy of doing good and giving back,” Krause said. “Our program is a true testament to that. We had six events last year and were hoping to have 10 this year.”    Dental volunteers treat underserved children at a Team Smile event and sponsors donate toys, merchandise and products. Photos: TeamSmile The group’s first big event was built around a Kansas City Chiefs football game in 2006 and thanks to enthusiastic support from dental volunteers, manufacturers, insurance companies and the Chiefs organization, 130 low-income and homeless children were screened and 40 were treated on the spot. Donated materials, services and equipment from the likes of Colgate, Henry Schein Dental and MetLife make it all possible, along with dental volunteers that include dentists, assistants, hygienists and dental students. Krause said TeamSmile is now “all paperless and driven through Dentrix ” practice management software. Dr. Busch adds that Henry Schein’s OATS (Office Automation and Technology Solutions) has agreed to donate laptops and other computer equipment to TeamSmile as the program expands. One of the new stops this year is at the Chicago Bears training camp in Bourbonnais, Ill., on Saturday, Aug. 1. Marge Hamm, Director of Bears Care, said TeamSmile is helping fill a void that was caused when some area back-to-school fairs were discontinued this year due to a lack of funding. The TeamSmile Bears event is working with Catholic Charities to provide underserved children from the area with dental, medical, back to school supplies, and a one of a kind football experience that will feature visits by Bears football players and team mascot Staley “Da Bear.” “The TeamSmile opportunity came to us via our community relations department and it’s a new and exciting opportunity for all of us,” said Hamm, of the event that will include Colgate backpack give-aways, a DJ, games, prizes, the Gatorade training camp experience, the Colgate Toothpaste cannon shooting T-shirts out to the children, and more. Henry Schein Dental, Colgate, DEXIS, D4D Technologies and Willie Wilson Baseball are among the groups helping make the Royals event next month possible, while a PGA golf event with Justin Timberlake joins up with TeamSmile for a second straight year in Las Vegas to provide much-needed dental care for children (Oct. 13). As the program grows, so too does the need for volunteers and donations. If you’re interested in donating your services, money or dental equipment, visit teamsmile.org and join the team. Photos and videos of past events also can be found on the Web site.
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When times get tough, it’s often much more difficult to find enough support to help causes that count heavily on donations and volunteer efforts.
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