Little Silver Orthodontist’s Candy Buy-Back Program Sweetens The Holidays For Troops

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From the Halls of Lincroft to the Shores of Little Silver, the 6th Motor Transport Battalion, represented by Sergeant Sayaid and five of the Few and the Proud, arrived in their seven-ton military truck.
The LZ: Two River Orthodontics in Little Silver. The Mission: Extraction of contraband — 1,013 pounds of Halloween candy – and its successful redeployment to appreciative American troops. The Objective: Saving the teeth of young trick-or-treaters.
The 6th Motor Transport recently returned from Afghanistan so navigating down Newman Springs Rd was much less stressful.

Marines from the 6th Motor Transport Battalion visited Two River Orthodontics to collect candy for the troops. Pictured are: Corporal Katina (in front); (l-r) Sgt Sayied, PFC Legrand, PFC Conklin, PFC Cropper, PFC Isabella and Dr. Gregory Coakley.

The Battalion’s Staff Sergeant Courter is overseeing the distribution of the candy to get it to where it will be most appreciated. “A portion of the candy has already been sent to American Recreational Military Services (ARMS), a grassroots organization run by Ronnie Micciulla here in Eatontown that does so much to help our military families here in the tri-state area and those serving overseas. The remainder will be thoroughly enjoyed at a holiday party for recent returnees from Afghanistan and their families.”
Dr. Gregory Coakley of Two River Orthodontics instituted a candy buy-back program a few years ago to encourage his young patients to give up their Halloween stash. This year, as an incentive to encourage this anti-cavity swap, Dr Coakley gave the kids an offer they couldn’t refuse: a chance to win an Apple iPad. Children received a raffle ticket for every pound of candy delivered. This year Bridgin Murrer, was the winner.
“I’m still overwhelmed by the response,” said Coakley. “The first year, about 475 pounds of candy was delivered to our offices.  Last year we almost doubled that to 866 pounds. This year, we crossed over half a ton. I felt like I captured big bags of trouble that meant nothing but tooth decay and broken braces for my patients and all of the kids in the community.”
For more information call (732) 741-9090 or visit tworiverortho.com. To help the troops, visit www.supportarms.org.