SOCIAL ENTERPRISE
A model for charity and capitalism
We've combined the economically sustainable elements of capitalism with the elements of resolve of charities to bring positive change.
On the far end of the capitalism model, the sole purpose of exchanging goods and money is to improve one's economic position without any consideration how, or what line of business generates money. With the sole purpose of making money, charitable efforts have little or no place.
One the other end of the spectrum of charity work, finding new ways to generate income and bring in money and resources to impoverished areas is an ongoing task of searching for new funding after having spent the last round. It can be exhausting and takes away from the focus of charitable work.
Synced Smiles has created a way to generate revenue to continuously fund charity oriented projects. Through our business model, we also bring awareness to issues that deserve the world's attention.
BUY ONE GIVE TEN™ THE STORY OF SYNCED SMILES
Over the last 10 years working in the tech industry in San Francisco, it was not difficult to realize how fortunate I was to be surrounded by opportunity and abundance. During one of these moments of abundance, I found myself at a large tech conference, hosted at a beautiful resort, watching a presentation with the following words:
"There are 6.8 billion people on the planet. 5.1 billion of them own a cell phone, but only 4.2 billion own a toothbrush."
Those words were supposed to illustrate how ubiquitous cell phones have become, which in turn, demonstrated the stability of our chosen industry. I was struck by the oddity of sitting in that room encouraged to pat myself on the back. Rather than reveling in a statistic that reinforced the idea of our chosen careers, I was focused on the glaring global health crisis and was consumed with the idea that I had to do something.
I could easily visualize and recall the faces of the people that the statistic referred to as I witnessed for the first 15 years of my life how devastating third-world poverty can be. Growing up in an expat community overseas in the Philippines, I was exposed and involved to understand the harsh realities that a large percentage of the world's population faces through my family's work with NGOs for urban and rural poor and refugees from developing countries. These experiences imprinted in me a sense of giving and continue to inspire me to do more for others.
Given the correlation between poor oral hygiene to many ailments as well as very serious health issues, my focus is to provide a preventive health measure to:
1. Disenfranchised youth globally (primarily in orphanages)
2. Homeless shelters and community clinics in the US
3. Disaster relief areas
There are many ways people give back that inspire me. Simple acts of kindness can have a significant and lasting impact. At Synced Smiles, we are committed to helping the underprivileged globally gain access to oral hygiene. When you buy one toothbrush from Synced Smiles, we match that purchase by donating ten toothbrushes to the underprivileged.
I want to change the way people think about how much they can give and to bring attention to the importance of oral hygiene as a preventive health practice. By giving back tenfold, we can make a significant and lasting impact to a real world issue that affects not just third world nations, but here in the United States as well.
I would like Synced Smiles to put a toothbrush in every hand of every child and adult in need.
Thank you for helping the world smile a little brighter.
-Paul Applegate
Founder and Chief Giving Officer
IMPRINTED IN MY YOUTH
As a child (lower right), with my parents visiting a program for the urban poor while growing up in the Philippines.
"Growing up in an expat community overseas in the Philippines, I was exposed and involved to understand the harsh realities that a large percentage of the world's population faces through my family's work with NGOs for urban and rural poor and refugees from developing countries. These experiences imprinted in me a sense of giving and continue to inspire me to do more for others."
James G. Rolfe, Doctor of Dental Surgery
National Award for Citizen Diplomacy
Dentist Approved
With direction and endorsement for our cause from Dr. James G. Rolfe, Synced Smiles has put together a platform to benefit multiple dental relief programs as well as create convenience and positive change. Dr. Rolfe was not only instrumental in his leadership for social good, but also for his expertise in dentistry as a Dental Surgeon. The Synced Smiles toothbrushes are Dentist Approved by Dr. James G. Rolfe, DDS.
For the past ten years, Dr. Rolfe, a resident of Santa Barbara, California has improved the lives of the Afghan people through his organization, the Afghanistan Dental Relief Project. Dental care conditions in Afghanistan are severely compromised. There are currently only 134 dentists to serve a population of 27 million, which amounts to only a single dentist per 200,000 patients. Sterilization practices are lax and treatment methods are often crude - untreated dental conditions resulting in death are not unheard of. Afghanistan is one of the worst countries globally for patients seeking dental care.
Dr. Rolfe established The Afghanistan Dental Relief Project to provide dental treatment facilities in underserved areas of Afghanistan, to staff these facilities with volunteers, to train the Afghan people in dentistry and dental technology, to provide dental treatment at no cost to the needy and to provide instruction in methods of preventative dental care.