Dr. William Busch Legacy Award
The Dr. William Busch Legacy Award will be given to a person or organization that has deeply impacted TeamSmile – and the children that we serve – over the course of years. This award will be presented during the TeamSmile Kansas City Chiefs program on an annual basis.
The creation of TeamSmile was the brainchild of Dr. Busch, and now, since 2007, TeamSmile has conducted over 275 programs, served over 50,000 children and provided over $20 million in free dental care and oral health education. Along with Henry Schein’s Jason Krause, Dr. Busch is the Co-Founder of TeamSmile, and has been the driving force behind the organization since inception.
Through TeamSmile – and through each child that we serve – the legacy of Dr. William Busch lives on.
2023 Winner of the Dr. William Busch Legacy Award: Kirby Ham
My 23-year radio / DJ career in Kansas City has been blessed! I have always been involved with many charitable organizations that have provided me with NUMEROUS, AMAZING, UNBELIEVABLE, SUREAL MOMENTS but none of them come close to the most impactful moment I have experienced.
That moment is when I met Dr. Bill Busch. He was a fan of one of my late-night mix shows that aired on the radio and he wanted to incorporate my DJ talents into his vision of hosting a party for children, with sports celebrities, that while in attendance, the children had their teeth fixed by professional dentists. When I heard his pitch, I agreed to give it a shot. With the help of Dustin Colquitt and the Kansas City Chiefs, the event went great, and Dr Busch and I found out that we both had a LOT in common.
With a mutual professional respect for one another and so much in common (including both of our wives recently having twins!). We instantly became friends! I appreciated his friendship, moral compass, his vision for TeamSmile and I looked forward to helping him achieve it! I was also excited to be involved with a charity that was just getting started where I was a key factor in its success, not just background music for a 5k fun run. From the first year, TeamSmile began to double, its popularity, success and most importantly its events.
By the fourth year I found myself in a different city with a different professional sports organization, sometimes, twice a month. The people, athletes, dentist, volunteers and children of the TeamSmile events are amazing. The pride I have in making a difference with this continually growing group of caring, giving people is unmeasurable. I also cherish the stories that I take from each of them and every TeamSmile event that I do. TeamSmile has now grown to a point where I cannot attend every event and that too makes me very proud.
Over the years, numerous, great people, all of whom I consider friends, have shared their talents in the success of TeamSmile. I am just one of the many people and sponsors that have helped fuel the success of this wonderful, ever growing, dental outreach program and that is, most importantly, lucky enough to call Dr. Bill Busch (a saint on earth), a true friend.
