CANOEING FOR CARE
A BUILD YOUR SMILE QUEST
Adam Shoalts, Dr. Peter Fritz and their team will be canoeing across Lake Ontario this September in support of our annual mission and year-long projects in Uganda.
Caring for Uganda
Build Your Smile Dental Foundation (BYSDF) provides critical dental health care in rural areas of Uganda. The critical need is due to the limited availability of services and widespread oral diseases. Oral diseases are a direct result of a significant lack of awareness about the importance of oral health. Throughout the year, BYSDF provides access to dental care while providing oral hygiene instruction to rural communities. This fundraiser is in support of the access and educational programs designed to address these challenges and enhance the oral health of rural populations in Uganda.
Donate what you can, know your impact!
When you click on the “donate” button it will take you to our informative donation site. You will see a variety of donation levels to choose from – each has a corresponding description of how your donation will create impact in Uganda.
This year’s quest – Crossing Lake Ontario
One day Adam was visiting Peter and the topic of canoeing came up, as it always does when these two get together. Peter had an idea pop into his head “let’s paddle across Lake Ontario…and let’s do it to raise money for Build Your Smile Dental Foundation.” Adam, always up for a good adventure, agreed and Canoeing For Care was born.
The quest is slated to happen this September. They will be heading out for the north shore at Cherry Beach Toronto, toward the south shore landing at Charles Daly Park in Lincoln near St. Catharines.
Adam Shoalts
Adam Shoalts is a professional adventurer and Westaway Explorer-in-Residence at the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and Outward Bound’s ambassador. His expeditions range from mapping rivers to archaeological projects, but Shoalts is best known for his long solo journeys, including crossing alone nearly 4,000 km of Canada’s Arctic.
Named one of the “greatest living explorers” by CBC and even declared “Canada’s Indiana Jones” by the Toronto Star, Shoalts’s latest adventure was a 3,400 km solo journey from Lake Erie to the Arctic, the subject of his new national bestselling book Where the Falcon Flies. His other books include Alone Against the North, A History of Canada in 10 Maps, and Beyond the Trees: A Journey Alone Across Canada’s Arctic, and The Whisper on the Night Wind, all of them national bestsellers. He has a PhD from McMaster University in history, and in his free time, enjoys long walks in the woods.
Dr. Peter Fritz
Dr. Peter Fritz is not only a distinguished periodontist, academic, and business leader but also an avid canoeist with a passion for combining adventure with professional growth. His enthusiasm for canoeing has taken him across six continents, shaping major life decisions and fueling his innovative spirit in both his personal and professional life.
Dr. Fritz’s canoeing adventures have not only provided a platform for personal reflection but have also informed his approach to dentistry and education. As an adjunct professor at McMaster and Brock Universities and the Staff Periodontist for the Niagara Health System, he brings a unique perspective shaped by his global canoeing experiences to his teaching and research. Dr. Fritz’s extensive educational background includes multiple advanced degrees: an LL.M., Ph.D. in Periodontology, MBA, DDS, and B.Sc., along with numerous fellowships and awards recognizing his contributions to dentistry.
Dr. Fritz’s life philosophy, forged through years of canoeing and professional excellence, demonstrates that innovation, learning, and adventure can seamlessly intertwine to create a truly remarkable career and life journey.