Special Smiles for Special Olympics Athletes

Special Olympics does it all.  And when we say all, we mean all. Over 4.2 million athletes with intellectual disabilities compete every year.  As their mission statement says, they provide these athletes with “continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.”

And even that wasn’t enough for the Special Olympics.  In 1995, they began hosting health programs for participating athletes.  After a dentist and an optometrist approached the Special Olympics about running a clinic at their annual World Games, they realized the huge opportunity they had to do something about health and wellness for children with intellectual disabilities.

And so began the Healthy Athletes program. This program offers health screenings in seven areas: Fit Feet (podiatry), FUNfitness (physical therapy), Health Promotion (better health and well-being), Healthy Hearing (audiology), MedFest (sports physical exam), Opening Eyes (vision), and Special Smiles (dentistry).

With over 1.4 million free health screening clinics across the world, the Special Olympics has become the largest global public health organization dedicated to serving people with intellectual disabilities.

StarSmilez is beyond proud to be a part of that.  As a sponsor of the Special Olympics, our StarSmilez characters get to meet these amazing young athletes and help to educate them on correct brushing and flossing techniques. Because everyone deserves a healthy, happy smile — especially these kids who surely have a lot to smile about.

We want to do our part! Know of an organization that could use our help? Let us know!