Reimagined Give Kids a Smile
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the School of Dentistry will not host an in-person event for Give Kids a Smile on February 6, 2021. Give Kids a Smile is a student-led, volunteer event connecting underserved children and families with oral health care. While disappointing, the Give Kids a Smile Committee will keep its amazing network of supporters up-to-date on the alternate ways Give Kids a Smile will positively impact our community and how you can stay involved.
What will the 2021 edition of Give Kids a Smile look like?
- The committee will work with Portico Healthnet and the Holland Center to reach 100 children in our community who do not have access to dental insurance or have unique health care needs. The committee is also applying for grants so these children can be seen in our regular dental clinics during normal operating hours.
- The committee will provide those 100 children, and an additional 100 children from Prodeo Academy Schools, with oral health care packages.
- The Committee will host an Apparel Fundraiser instead of our yearly bake sale. All proceeds from the School of Dentistry-themed apparel sales will go towards patient care. If you would like to be contacted when the committee launches the fundraiser, sign up here.
- The committee is creating a Give Kids a Smile website designed to serve as a future resource for GKAS patients, volunteers and supporters. The website is expected to launch in 2021.
- The committee is partnering with Dr. Jeffrey Karp, Director of the Pediatric Dentistry Resident Program, to host monthly education sessions on various oral and health-related topics with an emphasis on heavy inter-professional development. These free sessions will be held on Zoom and will be open to all School of Dentistry members as well as past and present GKAS volunteers and supporters. They will also be open to other allied health professionals and health professional students at the University of Minnesota. The committee hopes to start these sessions in November and it is working with Continuing Dental Education to make these sessions eligible for credit starting 2021. If you are interested in these sessions, sign up here.
While many of these changes are still in the preliminary stages, the committee is excited to see how Give Kids a Smile evolves over the next year and thanks everyone for their support while looking forward to when in-person events can resume. Contact [email protected] with questions or if you want to donate. The committee will send out more information as it becomes available.