University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Help Provide Healthy Smiles
April 7, 2015 | Football, Carolina Outreach
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – UNC student-athletes often participate in events that make kids smile, but recent efforts helped make sure those grins are healthy ones. Members of the Tar Heel football team volunteered at Give Kids A Smile Day, hosted by the UNC School of Dentistry on Feb. 6 and intended to provide free dental care along with a heavy dose of fun.
"My favorite part about GKAS was actually making the kids smile!” said Cameron Campbell, a senior who played football at UNC and organized his teammates to attend the event. “I volunteered because I enjoyed participating in the event last year and could not wait to be a part this year. Working with the kids allows me to reminisce on how fun it is to be a kid, and distributing information that they can apply for personal dental hygiene is a bonus! I am not sure what field of dentistry that I will choose once I enroll and graduate from dental school, but when that time comes, I look forward to hosting events like this in order to give back to the community."
The Dental School teamed with other campus professional schools, including the Gillings School of Public Health and the Schools of Medicine and Nursing, in putting on a fun day that helped children learn to be healthy.
“Our Give Kids A Smile Day at UNC School of Dentistry was more than a day of free dental care,” said dental student Mackenzie Hatfield, one of the event's organizers. “With the help of the UNC community and health professions schools, we educated over 120 Durham Head Start students and their parents about the importance of nutrition, oral hygiene, and physical activity in staying healthy for life. UNC student-athletes were integral in making fitness fun for the kids at our health fair's dancing station! We appreciate all that the athletic and academic communities did to make our day of care and education such an outstanding success.”