ATLANTA, Sept. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National children's dental provider Kool Smiles has been named a finalist in the nationally-renowned PR News Platinum PR Awards program for its 'Smile On' campaign, a multi-year, multi-faceted effort that includes ongoing community outreach and giving, patient and employee relations, national and local media outreach around dental health education, and social media community building.
Kool Smiles' Smile On initiatives include Operation Troop Treats, the largest Halloween candy buyback program by a dental provider in the United States that has contributed to a total of more than five tons of sweets shipped to U.S. soldiers overseas and is now in its fourth consecutive year; and Sharing Smiles Day, a national day of free dental care offered in February for children without any form of dental insurance. Since the start of the Smile On campaign in 2012, Kool Smiles dentists have provided more than $59 million in uncompensated care to patients in the communities they serve.
"Our Kool Smiles dentists and staff are deeply committed to ensuring every U.S. child has access to dental care and dental health education, which is why we invest significant time and resources in our ongoing community outreach programs," said Kool Smiles Managing Dental Director D Ray Gifford. "It's an honor to be recognized nationally for our continued work to ensure every child has a dental home."
In a news release, PR News said the finalists of the Platinum PR Awards "set industry standards for excellence across all areas of PR. Finalists are from corporations, agencies and nonprofits—both large and small—that took chances, made tremendous strides in their communications efforts and understand the power of public relations."
The PR Platinum Awards is a national industry program that honors top communications initiatives in more than 40 categories. The winners will be announced at its benchmark-setting Platinum and Agency Elite Awards Luncheon on October 26, 2015, at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. The Kool Smiles Smile On campaign award submission is shared by Schmidt Public Affairs, its agency of record.
See the complete list of this year's Platinum PR Awards finalists here: https://www.platinumprawards.com.
