Smiles From The Heart – Free Day of Dentistry
Little Smiles and Smile Grand Haven participated in Smiles From The Heart from 2010-2014 and 2016. Smiles From The Heart is a free day of dental services provided to those in need in our local area.
In 2014, Smiles From The Heart founder, Dr. Darren Riopelle, donated a building, equipment and supplies to Love In Action. This allowed Love In Action to open a free Health and Dental Clinic, servicing our community’s free dental care needs throughout the entire year.
Since the opening of the Love In Action Free Dental Clinic in 2015, Smiles From The Heart holds a free day only when the Free Dental Clinic indicates there is a need larger than their capacity. On a regular basis, Smile donates its time, talent and resources. We are humbled to be part of this team.
Any information about future Smile from the Heart days will be available on our blog and the Love In Action Facebook page.
Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival: Kids Parade
Each year Little Smiles participates in the Kid’s Parade at the Coast Guard Festival. Best of all, we have a very special guest who joins us at the parade…the Tooth Fairy!
Halloween Candy Buyback
Little Smiles partners with local schools to bring you our annual Halloween Candy Buyback.
During the first week of November, Little Smiles buys back candy from local children at $1 per pound. Another $1 per pound is also donated to the local school of the child’s choice. Schools compete for cash prizes to go towards their specific educational needs.
For adult community members who drop off their extra candy at Little Smiles, a donation of $1 per pound will be made to the local school of their choice.
Since 2008, we have collected over 7,000 pounds of candy!
February is Children’s Dental Health Month
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month – a great time to educate children on the benefits of good oral health. But more importantly, it is a great opportunity to provide a fun and positive experience to reinforce making healthy choices and to develop a trusting partnership with healthcare providers.
Since 1995, we have met with hundreds of students, from preschoolers to third graders from local elementary schools. We provide age appropriate interactive games, science experiments, questions and answer sessions, and water bottles and toothbrushes for the kids.
Each year we visit with over 700 local students from preschool to 2nd grade.
Out and about
Beyond our annual events, our team supports many local groups through sponsorship, donations, and time: TCM Counseling, Athena, Autism Support of West Shore, Grand Haven Schools Foundation, Spring Lake Schools Foundation, Bucs Sports Boosters, Children’s Advocacy Center, Love In Action, Hands 2 Hands, Tri-Cities Youth Baseball, TCYMCA Youth Basketball League, United Way Day of Caring, and many, many more.