April 2, 2024, Project Smile, a non-profit dental mission, commemorates over three decades of providing free essential dental care and community support to children in Belize. Established in 1992 through a cooperative effort between the apostle dioceses of Georgia and Belize, this initiative exemplifies humanitarian service at its best and showcases international collaboration for the betterment of society.

Dr. Steve Acuff, the founder of Project Smile, together with his wife Montie Acuff, the organization’s treasurer, have been pivotal figures in this mission. Their outstanding work managing the operations, documentation, and patient records has ensured the initiative’s long-term impact.

Dr. Acuff, reflecting on the experience, commented, “I truly feel alive in Belize and it feels like the ‘real world’. Serving in Belize is a reminder of how most of the world lives.”

This year Project Smile operated with sixteen self-paid volunteers serving 200 patients in a mere three and a half days, demonstrating the effectiveness and dedication of the volunteers. The most recent trip to Belize took place in February 2024 which included two teams that keep the clinic running for two weeks, one from Georgia and the other from Ohio, echoing the true spirit of teamwork and continuity.

Dr. Roy Maynard of Georgetown Family Dental and his wife Dr. Crystal Williams of Georgetown Orthodontics and two others Georgetown Family Dental staff members Sojourner Mays and Shea Bryant, joined forces with a dental team from Ohio to undertake the Project Smile.

The couple emphasized that their work went beyond the dental world because, as Black professionals, and as the first Black dentist to join Project Smile they serve as role models to their young patients. 

“I wanted the kids to see a role model and a dentist that looked like them,” Dr. Maynard said. “Dental hygiene is important, of course, but it is equally important to enable children to envision themselves in roles that work towards bettering communities and the lives of others.”

Together the Project Smile teams, from both Georgia and Ohio, offer a holistic approach to children’s dental health including cleanings, fillings, extractions, and cavity-preventing sealants. Operating out of St. Mary’s School in Belize, Project Smile has six professional dental stations for children ages four to fourteen to receive free dental care. 

Since 1992, Project Smile has freely given more than 22,000 dental treatments, started free lunch programs, and started the first computer lab in Belize.