ShopRite LPGA Classic Leaves Hundreds of Underserved Kids Grinning from Ear to Ear

By Doug Milne

GALLOWAY, N.J. - Each year at the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer, remarkable shot-making from the world’s greatest women golfers conjures the desire for many to get out and try and replicate those performances with their own games.

 

But this week, that action isn’t the only inspiring, impressive and inviting game in town.    

 

On Friday of round one, another powerful performance got underway on site that will last a lifetime for many individuals. Set up inside the Seaview clubhouse, “TeamSmile” featured hundreds of underprivileged children receiving dental care, many for the first time.

 

Established in 2007 with Colgate-Palmolive having served as a partner from day one, TeamSmile is a global organization that brings dental care to children in underserved communities.

 

“TeamSmile is an amazing organization that provides free services for children in need of dental care,” said Anaika Forbes-Grant, Colgate-Palmolive. “We bus in a bunch of amazing children and provide full-service treatment right on site. We also have games, face painting, mascots and a full-on dance party. We get the kids excited to not only learn about good oral hygiene and how safe it can be, but also understand the importance of oral health.”

 

“This is an amazing event and the first time we’re bringing Team Smile to the ShopRite LPGA Classic,” said Karen Meleta, Chief Communications Officer for Wakefern Food Corp. “We’re really excited this is happening. We have upwards of 85 volunteers and nearly 200 children here for dental care today.”

 

A number of those kids were seeing a dentist and experiencing oral hygiene work for the first time ever.

 

“This is our first time at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, but it won’t be the last,” Forbes-Grant said. “TeamSmile does this all over the country. We work with stadiums, football teams, basketball teams, baseball teams….you name it, we work with them and get it done.”

 

In addition to financial roadblocks preventing many kids from being seeing a dentist, there is also a reluctance by the kids based on their assumption of tremendous pain being involved.

 

“You’re going to see a bunch of kids out here, dancing with mascots to the beat of the music,” said John McCarthy, Executive Director, Team Smile. “You’re likely to see kids with their faces painted with giant smiles. If we do our job well, these kids are going to have an awesome experience. They’ll have their pictures taken with LPGA players, get autographs from them. One by one, we get to make a difference in the life of a child.”

 

“Getting kids into the habit of working on good oral health care is critical,” said Robbie Powell, Senior Vice President of Customer Development for Colgate-Palmolive. “There’s the physical aspect of having healthy oral hygiene, but there’s also an emotional component. If you have a disfigured smile or your teeth are bad, it creates some emotional drama and stress on kids at an early age that they just don’t need. The other part is that if you have poor oral hygiene, you’re likely to lose teeth. That means you won’t eat as well. That affects your diet and all aspects of your body. So, getting started early is absolutely critical for reasons such as that.”    

 

“Your oral healthcare is connected to your heart healthcare, diabetes and your overall health,” McCarthy explained. “So, as children are young, it’s really important to get them to understand the connection to overall health and get those habits of brushing and flossing teeth started early. It can really make an overall health impact when growing up. The combination of providing them the dental care and oral health education they need, along with the products needed to do it on their own is a really powerful combination.”

 

Two years ago, TeamSmile had 16 programs around the country. Last year, it grew to 25 and this year will feature around 35 programs treating upwards of 6,000 children. Expectations are for that number of programs to grow to about 45 in 2026.

 

As a way of offering perspective to the underserved contingent TeamSmile focuses on, McCarthy shared the story of a 10-year-old boy who took part in the initiative in Kansas City with the Royals program a few years back. The little boy had a screw lodged in his gum.

 

“The dentist removed the screw and then asked the logical question of how it had become lodged in his gum,” said McCarthy. “The little boy looked up at the dentist and said ‘I was hungry’. It turns out, the boy had been trying to eat small toy cars. I realized in that moment that when we do our job really well, bring the enthusiasm and create that atmosphere, these kids are going to have an awesome experience. The reason I share that story is because it’s easy to forget where that child came from this morning and what that child is going back home tonight that night.”

 

According to McCarthy, when many of the kids utilizing Team Smile program check out and get the included toothbrushes provided to them, the kids ask if it’s just for them.

 

“It’s either their first time of having a toothbrush or having one of their own they don’t have to sharing with family members,” he said. “It’s heart wrenching at times. But, the power of the Team Smile model of making it fun and exciting takes the fear right out of having dentistry. That’s the heartwarming part. We did something about it and get the chance to make a difference in the lives of children.”

 

“The spirit of the ShopRite LPGA Classic is about giving back,” Meleta said. “This is a tournament that has donated over $40 million over the years to those in need. So, bringing this to the next level of giving back to the community in this way is just amazing. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

 

To learn more about the mission, visit TeamSmile online at teamsmile.org.