FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Monica Meeks, StandUp Blue Springs
August 4, 2008 816-478-4500 or ExecDir@StandUpBlueSprings.org
IT’S TIARA TIME IN BLUE SPRINGS!
FIFTH ANNUAL PRINCESS PARTY
TO BENEFIT DENTAL FOR KIDS PROGRAM
Young ladies ages 2-12 will once again be the royal guests of honor at the Fifth Annual Princess Party, a fundraiser for StandUp Blue Springs’ Dental for Kids Program. The Princess Party will be held Saturday, October 4, 2008 from noon – 4 p.m. at Valley View High School, 5000 NW Valley View Road in Blue Springs. Event organizers anticipate 600-800 little girls and 500 adults will attend.
The cost to attend the Princess Party is $15 for children and $5 for each adult companion. The admission price includes 15 activities for $15, and includes a visit with the Tooth Fairy, face painting, princess concert, dance party, crafts, magic show and more. Several other optional activities cost an additional fee, and low-cost snacks will be sold.
Tickets can be ordered in advance through the StandUp Blue Springs web site, www.StandUpBlueSprings.org, and can be purchased at the door. Discounts are available for online purchases.
Dental for Kids provides free dental care to children and teens from low-income homes in the Blue Springs School District. “Since the program started in 2003, volunteer dentists in Eastern Jackson County have donated more than $270,000 in free dental care to nearly 450 children,” says Executive Director Monica Meeks. “Many of the children in the program have extensive dental problems. Dental for Kids provides access to free dental care families could not otherwise afford.”
Tooth decay is currently the single most common chronic childhood disease—five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever, according to the Surgeon General.
The Surgeon General has identified dental and oral diseases as “silent epidemics.” Left untreated, the pain and infection caused by tooth decay can lead to problems in eating, speaking and the ability to learn. Without proper dental care, children risk significant health problems later in life, including heart attack, stroke and diabetes.
Dental for Kids is a program of the local nonprofit agency, StandUp Blue Springs, which engages adults and teens in Eastern Jackson County in health, safety and community wellness programs.
For more information about the Princess Party or the Dental for Kids program, call the StandUp Blue Springs office at 816-478-4500.
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