MECHANICSVILLE, Md. – Dr. Gina McCray and Dr. Kara McCray Demer of St. Mary’s Dental help make the lives of children – locally, nationally, and internationally – better through their annual participation in the Crown Council’s Smiles for Life Campaign. The campaign raised over $10,000 and ran from March 1 – September 1, and 100% of the proceeds from teeth whitening procedures done at St. Mary’s Dental were contributed directly to the Smiles for Life Foundation. This foundation uses donations from the community to help fund worthy children’s charities and humanitarian work, both locally and around the world including programs in the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, and Guatemala. Smiles for Life also maintains a strong longtime partnership with the Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation supporting Child Life Zones in Children’s Hospitals across the United States.

This year, St. Mary’s Dental selected the Dream Queen Foundation as their local charity of choice to receive half of the funds raised. Founder, Erin Lewis, shared “the generous partnership between St. Mary’s Dental and the Smiles for Life Foundation will allow us to launch a new 8-month career and leadership development program for teen girls at Chopticon High School.” The Dream Queen Foundation’s Signature Teen Girl Program, Gals Lead, teaches teenage girls the responsibility and the role of leadership, helps them develop a life-long love for learning, and ultimately equips them to transform the 7 Cultural Spheres of Influence that define our world today: Government, Business, Education, Religion, Family, Media, & Arts/Entertainment.

Chopticon High School is the second school in St. Mary’s County to adopt the Gals Lead Curriculum as part of their club offerings to students. Led by certified instructors like Carol Davis, Ellen Servetnick, and Julie Hammond, girls have an opportunity to receive mentorship from community leaders, entrepreneurs, and local change-makers. The mission of the Dream Queen Foundation is to encourage and mentor women and teen girls to align careers with passion & purpose, embrace authenticity & transparency in positions of power & influence, and replace greed & corruption with heart centered leadership.

To learn more about the Dream Queen Foundation, visit https://www.yourdreamqueen.com/

To learn more about St. Mary’s Dental, visit 
https://www.stmarysdental.com/