After years of planning and dreaming, our Great Shape! team finally fulfilled our vision of delivering free dental care on the beautiful island of St. Lucia. Thanks to our incredible partnership with The Sandals Foundation, Great Shape!’s 1000 Smiles is expanding our reach even farther, caring for more than 500 St. Lucians!
With permission from the St. Lucian Ministry of Health, our volunteers provided free root canals, sealants, cleanings, extractions, fluoride, x-rays, fillings and exams in two separate communities: Marchand and Canaries.
With great skill and joyful hearts we…
- Served 507 people: 327 adults and 180 children
- Provided 1,481 services: 482 exams, 284 fillings, 146 cleanings, 178 extractions, 382 sealants, and 9 root canals.
- Provided free services at a value of $150,000 USD.
- Served 75 team members at Sandals Regency La Toc.
The entire project ran smoothly and efficiently thanks to our experienced team of staff, the awesome team at Sandals Resorts, our dedicated volunteers and the bright, joyful attitude of the St. Lucian people.
There are so many joy moments from our trip that make us smile, including a young woman named Melanie who came in with 5 blackened, half-decayed front teeth. Once the incredible Dr. Hansen finished his artistry, Melanie was overwhelmed with joy at the sight of her new, beautiful, smile! These joy moments alone make all the hard work worth it!
We are so grateful for the opportunity to serve in St. Lucia. The people of St. Lucia captured our hearts and ignited our spirits!
As the Caribbean Proverb goes – “Lickle but we tallah.” We’re small but we’re strong!
