Little smiles. Lots of hope.

The little smiles of patients at 1^st Family Dental mean big support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

This year, the Chicago-based dental practice increased its support for St. Jude by starting a special fundraiser, “Little Smiles. Lots of Hope.”, during which $10 was donated to St. Jude for every child who completed an annual back-to-school checkup and cleaning. Initially planned to end August 31, the program was extended through September because of the outpouring of support it received from patients and staff.

Then, during the month of October, 1^st Family Dental donated $50 to St. Jude for every patient who started orthodontic work. These efforts led to “Little Smiles. Lots of Hope.” reaching 1^st Family Dental’s goal of raising $50,000 for St. Jude.

In years past, 1^st Family Dental, which has 10 locations in Chicago, has kept a donation box in its waiting areas to raise funds for St. Jude.

The St. Jude fundraising program continues 1^st Family Dental's focus on helping those in need. In addition to supporting St. Jude, the company has hosted free dental cleaning days, provided care for patients unable to pay and run school outreach programs to teach good dental practices.

“This initiative has been a lot of fun," said Dr. Ghassan Abboud, president and founder of 1^st Family Dental. "You can feel the energy in each of our offices. As a local family dental practice, we’re always looking for ways to give back to our local communities. The many free dental care days we’ve hosted are a good example, but this initiative has us excited on a whole new level. Who doesn’t get excited about raising hope for the kids of St. Jude?”