Colgate-Palmolive and the National Dental Association Celebrate
Colgate-Palmolive and the National Dental Association Celebrate
Oct 23, 2003
Colgate-Palmolive and the National Dental Association Celebrate When more than 1,500 African American dentists from around the country descend on Atlanta beginning this week to learn and network at the National Dental Association's (NDA) 86th annual convention, the Colgate-Palmolive Company will be there waiting to celebrate a decade of "Bright Smiles, Bright Futures" (BS/BF).
As a proud NDA partner and sponsor of the NDA convention, headquartered at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, 265 Peachtree St. N.E., Colgate will put into action and on display the BS/BF program that promotes oral health among inner city, low-income children.
The highly successful BS/BF multi-cultural program was jointly created by Colgate-Palmolive and the NDA in 1991, and is designed to improve the oral health of inner city children -- and consequently their self-esteem -- by teaching them and their families how to prevent dental disease. In other words, the program is literally and figuratively filling the holes that cavities cause in children's teeth, health and lifestyle.
Colgate-Palmolive will host an exhibit booth where dental professionals can learn about the company's commitment to providing dental education information to African Americans, Asian Americans and Hispanic families across the country. Dental professionals and local and national celebrities, among others, will deliver information from the booth via a broadcast media format. The booth will be open on Saturday, July 31 and Sunday, August 1 from 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. On Monday, August 1, the booth's hours are 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Colgate-Palmolive will also present its BS/BF Van, which serves as a "dental office on wheels." Inside the van, which regularly appears in major cities across the country (including Atlanta), volunteer dental professionals screen, educate and refer children up to age 12 for treatment. The van will be located in the parking lot of the Sun Trust Plaza, which is adjacent to the hotel on Saturday, July 31 from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
In addition, Colgate is sponsoring the NDA President's Luncheon on Sunday, August 1 from 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. in the International Ballroom North. During the Luncheon, Colgate-Palmolive Chairman and CEO Reuben Mark and Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell will address the conventioneers. The keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Harold Slavkin, director of the National Institute of Dental Craniofacial Research.
Since its founding in 1991, the BS/BF community outreach program has served as a catalyst in five million children annually being exposed to oral health education and receiving dental screenings and instructions. The program targets the cities of Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York with their larger population of inner city children.
In addition, BS/BF awareness programs focus on 13 other cities nationwide: Boston; DeKalb County, Ga.; Detroit; Houston; Jeffersonville, Ind./Louisville, KY; Kansas City, MO and KS; Miami; Oakland, CA; Philadelphia; San Antonio, TX; San Francisco; Stockton, CA.; and Washington, D.C./Baltimore.
"While we can take pride in our efforts to date, there is still much work to be done," said Dr. Marsha Butler, Colgate-Palmolive's director of global affairs. "Consider the following story in last month's New York Times where federal health officials call cavities the most prevalent childhood disease in the country leading to 52 million missed school hours a year."
Over the years BS/BF has expanded through partnerships with the National Dental Association, Hispanic Dental Association, America's Promise, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, other professional organizations, a host of community volunteers and public/private and civic organizations.
The BS/BF program also provides children and their families with useful dental education information through a number of creative community awareness activities:
As a proud NDA partner and sponsor of the NDA convention, headquartered at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, 265 Peachtree St. N.E., Colgate will put into action and on display the BS/BF program that promotes oral health among inner city, low-income children.
The highly successful BS/BF multi-cultural program was jointly created by Colgate-Palmolive and the NDA in 1991, and is designed to improve the oral health of inner city children -- and consequently their self-esteem -- by teaching them and their families how to prevent dental disease. In other words, the program is literally and figuratively filling the holes that cavities cause in children's teeth, health and lifestyle.
Colgate-Palmolive will host an exhibit booth where dental professionals can learn about the company's commitment to providing dental education information to African Americans, Asian Americans and Hispanic families across the country. Dental professionals and local and national celebrities, among others, will deliver information from the booth via a broadcast media format. The booth will be open on Saturday, July 31 and Sunday, August 1 from 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. On Monday, August 1, the booth's hours are 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Colgate-Palmolive will also present its BS/BF Van, which serves as a "dental office on wheels." Inside the van, which regularly appears in major cities across the country (including Atlanta), volunteer dental professionals screen, educate and refer children up to age 12 for treatment. The van will be located in the parking lot of the Sun Trust Plaza, which is adjacent to the hotel on Saturday, July 31 from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
In addition, Colgate is sponsoring the NDA President's Luncheon on Sunday, August 1 from 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. in the International Ballroom North. During the Luncheon, Colgate-Palmolive Chairman and CEO Reuben Mark and Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell will address the conventioneers. The keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Harold Slavkin, director of the National Institute of Dental Craniofacial Research.
Since its founding in 1991, the BS/BF community outreach program has served as a catalyst in five million children annually being exposed to oral health education and receiving dental screenings and instructions. The program targets the cities of Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York with their larger population of inner city children.
In addition, BS/BF awareness programs focus on 13 other cities nationwide: Boston; DeKalb County, Ga.; Detroit; Houston; Jeffersonville, Ind./Louisville, KY; Kansas City, MO and KS; Miami; Oakland, CA; Philadelphia; San Antonio, TX; San Francisco; Stockton, CA.; and Washington, D.C./Baltimore.
"While we can take pride in our efforts to date, there is still much work to be done," said Dr. Marsha Butler, Colgate-Palmolive's director of global affairs. "Consider the following story in last month's New York Times where federal health officials call cavities the most prevalent childhood disease in the country leading to 52 million missed school hours a year."
Over the years BS/BF has expanded through partnerships with the National Dental Association, Hispanic Dental Association, America's Promise, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, other professional organizations, a host of community volunteers and public/private and civic organizations.
The BS/BF program also provides children and their families with useful dental education information through a number of creative community awareness activities:
- Fun and interesting curricula designed for children in head start (1-5 years), first grade (5-6 years), and third grade (8-9 years) introduces dental care in a learning environment
- "Doctor Rabbit," a 6' fun-loving mascot, presents oral health education in a skit format
- Volunteer dental professional discuss with children dentistry as a rewarding career
- "Smile Files" articles that focus on oral health are submitted to ethnic newspapers and health magazines around the country, and are distributed to adults during community-based activities
- Parent education workshops provide parents with user-friendly materials provided by local dental professionals during a 20-minute audio-visual presentation on oral health
- The Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program has achieved numerous measures of success, including more than 116 endorsements and partnerships worldwide.
