KANSAS CITY, Mo., Sept. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Marking the wind down of baseball season, Sun Life U.S. and the Kansas City Royals Foundation have successfully completed the first "Every Single Smile" campaign, reaching their $50,000 goal to help TeamSmile expand access to dental care for youth in underserved communities across Kansas City. TeamSmile is a leading nonprofit organization providing large-scale dental clinics for local children in cities throughout the country, in partnership with professional sports organizations. Through this season-long initiative, every Royals single generated a donation from Sun Life and the KC Royals Foundation.
The campaign represents an evolution of the long-standing commitment to community health that Sun Life and the Royals have shared throughout their nearly decade-long partnership. Building on the previous success of the annual "Strike Out Diabetes" fundraising initiative, the partnership expanded this year to include oral health as a critical component of overall wellness for vulnerable populations.
"Every Single Smile" demonstrates how meaningful partnerships can drive real health outcomes," said Todd Gray, DDS, Chief Dental Officer, Sun Life U.S., including DentaQuest, and board member of TeamSmile. "Through our commitment to broadening healthcare access, our work with the Royals and their devoted fans helps connect a beloved pastime to improved access to dental services for youth across Kansas City. When we help kids get the dental care they need, they are far more likely to maintain their oral health into adulthood."
The funds will help TeamSmile host an additional dental clinic this December in Kansas City and strengthen the Dental Home Project, connecting underserved youth with local dentists to establish ongoing relationships and preventive care. As a benefits provider, Sun Life is strongly focused on helping broaden access to care, working with philanthropic partners to support programs that serve vulnerable communities.
"The enthusiasm from our fans and the dedication from Sun Life made this campaign a tremendous success," said Drew Fuemmeler, vice president of Corporate Partnerships, Kansas City Royals. "Together, we're creating lasting change in our community health landscape by helping connect kids to better oral health."
Sun Life U.S. has been a partner of the Kansas City Royals since 2017, renewing the partnership last year through the 2030 baseball season. Sun Life is also a sponsor and partner of the Boston Celtics and Maine Celtics, and sponsors TeamSmile events in multiple cities around the country.
Click here to learn more about Sun Life's philanthropic partnerships and programming.
About Sun Life
Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing asset management, wealth, insurance and health solutions to individual and institutional Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the U.S., the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of June 30, 2026, Sun Life had total assets under management of C$1.70 trillion. For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com.
Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.
Sun Life U.S. is one of the largest providers of employee and government benefits, helping approximately 48 million Americans access the care and coverage they need. Through employers, industry partners and government programs, Sun Life U.S. offers a portfolio of benefits and services, including dental, vision, disability, absence management, life, supplemental health, medical stop-loss insurance, and healthcare navigation. Sun Life employs more than 8,300 people in the U.S., including associates in our partner dental practices and affiliated companies in asset management. Group insurance policies are issued by Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (Wellesley Hills, Mass.), except in New York, where policies are issued by Sun Life and Health Insurance Company (U.S.) (Lansing, Mich.). For more information visit our website and newsroom.
About The Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team operated by a hometown ownership group led by Chairman and CEO John Sherman. Ewing Kauffman founded the club in 1969 because, in his words, "I believe the people of Kansas City deserved a Major League Baseball team." No MLB team founded along with or since can match the Royals four American League pennants and two World Series Championships. Since Sherman's purchase, the Royals won the Bud Selig Award for Philanthropic Excellence in 2021 and been a finalist three other times.
Media contacts
Devon Fernald
Sun Life U.S.
Devon.Portney.Fernald@sunlife.com
781-800-3609
Kindle Biermann
Kansas City Royals
Kindle.Biermann@royals.com
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SOURCE Sun Life U.S.
