CHICAGO, October 13, 2022 — The American Dental Association (ADA) will host a Philanthropy Day on Thursday, Oct. 13 to support its national Give Kids A Smile® program and local youth in Houston. The day will consist of a series of events dedicated to helping the underserved at both a national and local level. Events include the SmileDash 5k, Give Kids A Smile Pack & Give Back Event, attendee group gatherings, and a visit from the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures mobile dental van.
Kicking off Philanthropy Day will be the SmileDash 5K in downtown Houston where SmileCon attendees, spouses, family members and guests are invited to participate both in-person and virtually, and log these miles with any other distance activity – such as running, walking, biking or swimming. A portion of the registration fee will go toward the ADA’s Give Kids A Smile programs and projects.
Philanthropy Day will also feature a Give Kids A Smile Pack & Give Back event from 10 a.m.-noon next to Smile Zone A in Dental Central. Participants will pack approximately 1,000 backpacks with nutritious food, toothbrushes, toothpaste and oral health education cards for food insecure children in Houston in collaboration with the Houston Food Bank. These backpacks will be distributed to Houston schools to provide children in need with nutritious food for weekends and oral health care supplies. The event is generously sponsored by Henry Schein Cares, Colgate and the Dental Trade Alliance Foundation, with additional support from the ADA Foundation.
“ADA members are passionate about giving back, and SmileCon presents incredible opportunities to meaningfully contribute to the local community,” said Cesar R. Sabates, D.D.S., president of the ADA. “We look forward to the camaraderie these events will encourage within the dental and local Houston communities, and hope that our charitable efforts continue to drive momentum in advancing oral healthcare.”
Other events throughout the day include:
- A visit from the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures mobile dental van to provide oral health screening and education to approximately 200 Houston children from 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in Dental Central.
- The DENT Talks event, located in Dental Central’s Smile Lounge A from 2 p.m.-4 p.m., where representatives from different volunteer organizations will share information and stories about volunteering for successful programs that work to increase access to oral healthcare in the U.S. and other countries.
- The Philanthropy C.H.A.T. (connect, huddle and talk), which will take place from 5:30p.m.-6:30p.m. at the Marriott Marquis SkyBar, will give attendees an opportunity to meet up with fellow colleagues who have a passion for volunteering, philanthropic work and giving back.
For additional information about the above events, contact gkas@ada.org.
Editor’s Note: Reporters are invited to follow the ADA on Twitter @AmerDentalAssn and #SmileCon2022 for updates from SmileCon.