Smile for a Lifetime – Progress Report

Since Brian Williams spoke about Smile for a Lifetime Foundation on NBC's Nightly News, David Carter, Aimee Spencer and I have been overrun with inquiries from orthodontists who are ready to start a local chapter. This is a very exciting time as the National Board of Directors finalizes the national bylaws and puts the finishing touches on the organizational and logistical aspects of S4L becoming a truly national nonprofit. We have the foundation up and going in our test practices and have almost finished working out the kinks. We now have a clear blueprint for other orthodontists to follow to make it easy for them to get up and running and to help accomplish our national goal: treat lots and lots of kids who would not get braces otherwise! We are hoping for an endorsement from the American Association of Orthodontists soon and plan to grant widespread access to the S4L model at the same time it is endorsed by the AAO. When Smile for a Lifetime is endorsed, any AAO member in good standing will be eligible to form a Smile for a Lifetime Foundation local chapter. The National Board of Directors will take applications and insure an orderly progression as S4L rolls out nationwide. We are so excited about the thousands of kids that will be treated by all the wonderful orthodontists who are so generously giving of their time and talent that words cannot describe how we feel…