Our Story
TAKE A JOURNEY
WITH US
See how Hope Smiles Together began and where we are today.
April 10, 2017
CREATION OF HOMELESS HOPE
Creation of Homeless Hope - Garrett assisted his sister with the promotion of Homeless Hope and toiletry drives for the Charleston homeless at their school.
6th-8th Grade
VOLUNTEER WORK
Garrett assisting with Homeless Hope and the Hot Dog Ministry to provide toiletries and feeding the Charleston SC homeless.
9th-12th Grade
PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
Professional growth and dental interest begins. Garrett shadowing Dr. Courtney Shelbourne at Shelbourne and Associates Oral and Facial Surgery. Continues volunteering with Homeless Hope and the Hot Dog Ministry.
Freshman Yr.
EXPANDED EXPOSURE
Expanded dental exposure to the career field. Garrett shadowed various dental specialists from Oral Surgery, Orthodontics, to Endodontics respectively: Dr. Courtney Shelbourne, Dr. Jed Kelley, and Dr. Jason Cohen.
Fall 2024
HOPE SMILES TOGETHER BEGINS
Garrett creates the idea of Hope Smiles Together combining his interest in dentistry with his community service with Homeless Hope and the Hot Dog Ministry. Begins collection process for Hope Smiles Together through dental practitioners, private donors, and dental supply houses.
Purpose: Collecting dental supplies and serving those in need.
Winter 2024
VOLUNTEERING AT WSRM
Garrett begins volunteering with Winston-Salem Rescue Mission dental clinic under Dr. Travis Hedrick in Winston-Salem.
April 2025
MISSION BEGINS
Garrett begins mission of dental supply distribution to the Winston-Salem, NC homeless through Hope Smiles Together.
May 2025
ECBC PARTNERSHIP
Hope Smiles Together partners with the East Cooper Baptist Church mission team, supplying dental supplies to the community in Catania, Sicily. Toothbrushes, toothpaste, Scope and floss were distributed to the children and community in need.
June 2025
SC/PMI PARTNERSHIP
Hope Smiles Together partners with Seacoast Church and the Palmetto Medical Initiative through their medical trip to Nicaragua, supplying dental needs to those in need.
July 2025
OFFICIAL 501(C)(3)
Hope Smiles Together becomes an official foundation.
EIN: 39-3011698
Summer 2025
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Garrett interns with Lowcountry AHEC and the Medical University of South Carolina in Oral Surgery and the Diagnostic Radiology department.
August 2025
MAJOR SPONSOR
Hope Smiles Together gains Benco Dental as a sponsor, supplying dental toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss for their domestic and global distributions.
August 2025
BACK TO THE ROOTS
Garrett takes Hope Smiles Together back to his roots by volunteering and distributing dental supplies with Homeless Hope and the Hot Dog Ministry in Charleston, SC, serving the Charleston homeless.
October 2025
SMOT PARTNERSHIP
Hope Smiles Together partners with Starfish Ministry of Texas supplying dental supplies to a full-on dental clinic in the mountains of Cusco, Peru.
November 2025
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD
Hope Smiles Together contributed over 200 dental hygiene products in support of the international ministry of Operation Christmas Child. We are thrilled to work with Samaritan's Purse sending dental products to children worldwide.
December 2025
GIFT BASKETS FOR FOSTER FAMILIES
Hope Smiles Together partnered with Palmetto Christian Academy and Charleston County Department of Social Services to create gift baskets for foster families with new placements. We were thrilled to contribute over 300 dental products to help complete the baskets.
December 2025
POWER TO CHANGE
Garrett was thrilled to meet Mia Munro and Troy Beer in Brisbane, Australia. They lead Power to Change Australia and GAIN (Global Aid Network) providing medical and dental mobile clinics in Australia and Southeast Asia. HST donated over 325 dental hygiene products which will be used in their medical mobile tent in Davao, Philippines reaching recent earthquake victims. We look forward to partnering with GAIN in Australia, Fiji, Cambodia, Philippines, and Vietnam with dental hygiene aid and education.
December 2025
IT'S A WRAP
Great way to wrap up 2025 with our original partners. Hope Smiles Together and the Hotdog Ministries prepared Christmas packages for the Charleston homeless. We distributed the items December 23rd.
January 2026
ECCO PARTNERSHIP
Hope Smiles Together starting 2026 working with East Cooper Community Outreach Dental Clinic (ECCO). Partnering with Fixodent, Hope Smiles Together donated 200 removable hygiene kits to ECCO to be used in their new dental facility.
February 2026
MISSION TRIP TO AFRICA
Garrett is excited to partner with Pioneers Togo and Seacoast on an upcoming medical/dental trip serving rural villages in Togo, Africa, this March. Hope Smiles Together donated 200-plus hygiene products for the upcoming trip. We can't wait to see the clinic.
Mid February 2026
SUPPORTING LOCAL VILLAGES
Hope Smiles Together is happy to see the GAIN Australia dental mission clinic in the Philippines this February. They served over 900 patients over 7 clinical days, distributing our toothbrushes and eyeglasses and treating medical needs. Their team ran health workshops in a local village, focusing on the basics such as clean water, dental hygiene and mental health. Hope Smiles Together is thrilled to contribute to this effort!
Early March 2026
DONATIONS & CONTRIBUTIONS
Hope Smiles Together thanks our dental suppliers and reps, Benco Dental, Sullivan Schein Dental, Colgate and Oral-B, for their donations and contributions to our work. Through their generosity, we are able to reach so many people.
Mid-March 2026
RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE
Garrett loved visiting the Ronald McDonald House today and seeing their expansion. They are building 34 more rooms on top of the existing 32. Hope Smiles Together is happy to donate toothbrushes and toothpaste to their guests!
Late March 2026
MUSC
Hope Smiles Together is thrilled to partner with MUSC Shawn Jenkins Pediatric Hospital to provide supplies to families whose children are hospitalized while they stay with them at MUSC. As a former patient here, Garrett understands the families' struggles and is happy to help provide them with assistance.
Late March 2026
EAST COOPER BAPTIST CHURCH
Hope Smiles Together is excited to donate to the upcoming Jordan mission trip with East Cooper Baptist Church. The trip was planned for March but postponed until the Fall. Hope Smiles Together was happy to donate over 700 dental hygiene supplies.
Late March 2026
PIONEERS TOGO, AFRICA
Hope Smiles Together was excited to see the patients and volunteers from the Pioneers Togo and Seacoast medical/dental mission trip this winter. We were thrilled to donate supplies and continue supporting them with their upcoming trips in 2027. This past March, the healthcare volunteers treated over 1,500 patients.
Late March 2026
HOT DOG MINISTRY
Hope Smiles Together was happy to join the Hot Dog Ministry last week to serve the homeless in Charleston. Garrett is happy to distribute toothbrushes and toothpaste to those in need.
Late March 2026
HYGIENE DISTRIBUTION
Hope Smiles Together is thrilled to contribute dental hygiene products, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, and fluoride varnish, to East Cooper Baptist teams working in Marrakech, Morocco, and Athens, Greece.
Late March 2026
EAST COOPER MISSION TRIP
Garrett is happy to donate dental hygiene supplies for a second year to East Cooper's mission trip to Sicily. He loves continuing those relationships from last year and building on them, stressing oral health care with overall health.
May 2026
STARFISH MINISTRY
Hope Smiles Together is excited to share our partnership with Starfish Ministry, which recently went on a dental mission trip in the Yucatán Peninsula. The trip spanned 8 days and was made up of a team of dentists, dental assistants, and nurses. In total, Hope Smiles Together donated 250 dental hygiene products.
May 2026
DENTAL INTERNSHIP
Garrett's dental internship with Charleston Oral and Facial Surgery expands his dental training and shadowing. He is a clinical technician working with Dr. Edward Strauss, Dr. Drane Oliphant, and Dr. Kinon Lecholop, focused on dental extractions, dental implants, and orthodontic anchoring.
June 2026
DENTAL MAVERICKS UK
Hope Smiles Together partnered with Dental Mavericks in the United Kingdom. Dental Mavericks operates internationally in Peru and Morocco, providing dental clinics with dentists, dental therapists, and nurses who volunteer to aid those in need. Garrett met with Irene Wylde in Edinburgh, Scotland. She and her sister served in Morocco, where the clinic provided care to over 1100 patients in 5 clinical days. Hope Smiles Together supplied over 300 dental hygiene products to replenish for their next trip.
June 2026
DIAMOND SMILES FOUNDATION
Garrett connected with Diamond Smiles Foundation in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founder, Dr. Leanne Branton, works with domestic abuse and substance misuse victims to restore their damaged smiles. Helping restore their smiles is a step toward assisting these patients in overcoming their hardships and building self-confidence as they reshape their lives. Hope Smiles Together is working with the Diamond Smiles Foundation to provide toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss to these patients and their families.