CHALLENGES

#1: Deep Ellum is known as a spot for great music, culture, food and arts, so it’s no surprise that the exteriors of many buildings in the area are decorated with colorful, eye-catching murals. Get to the inspirational mural seen HERE. Once there, have someone take a picture of your team all jumping in the air at the same time with your arms outstretched like wings, while the mural is behind you.

#2: As designers you often find inspiration in style and fashion. So here is your chance to create a new trend! Get to any clothing or apparel store and find two different items with enough in stock that every team member can be wearing the same two items in their own sizes. Then take a fun team picture with everyone wearing those items. For example it may be a wacky shirt, and a pair of shorts. Or maybe some cozy slippers and a large sun hat. As long as everyone is wearing the same exact two items but in their own sizes.

#3: To celebrate the 120th year since the Wright Brothers first achieved human flight here in NC, take a video of your team completing the "Wright Brother’s Challenge". Basically send some team members to the 2nd level of any building, balcony, or parking garage and have them toss paper airplanes out into the air in front of them (not just dropping it straight downward). The rest of your team should be on the ground level below. Any of your team members at ground level need to catch just one plane before it hits the ground. All team members at ground level can be attempting to catch planes, but only one plane needs to be caught.

#4: One of the core values of Kids Dental Brands is being a Team Player, by putting the team above yourself and understanding you are valued as individuals but you’ll achieve the greatest results and enjoyment by working together as a team. To honor this value, find any location around the city where the state flag of North Carolina is visibly flying. Once there, take a video of your team completing the Group Sit & Stand Challenge while the flag is in the background. Basically, your team members will all be standing shoulder to shoulder in a tight clump/circle with your backs all facing in and your arms interlocked. Slowly lower the entire interlocked group to the ground until you are in a seated position with your butts on the ground, and then slowly stand all the way back up while remaining interlocked the entire time. To watch a video of a group successfully completing this challenge click HERE.

#5: Find any two youth (or more) around the area and take a video of them teaching your team members how to “Floss”. And no, it has nothing to do with your teeth (but they will show you what to do with your arms and your hips).

#6: Get every team member a large (16 ounces or so) open-top paper, plastic, or foam cup and fill it with water. Then somewhere outdoors, line up shoulder to shoulder and have each team member balance a full cup on their head. Once everyone’s cups are balanced, hold hands with the team members on either side of you and take a video of your team working together to all take 10 steps forward without anyone touching their own cup (or another team member’s cup) or having it spill. If someone’s cup spills make sure to encourage them and then refill any spilled cups and start again as a team. After your team successfully travels 10 steps together dump the cups to prove they were full, and celebrate!

#7: Raleigh is nicknamed the “City of Oaks” for its sheer number of majestic oak trees which line the streets. Preserving this beautiful landscape for your young patients and future generations is incredibly important. So anywhere around the area find a canister of some sort that has the triangular recycling symbol on it. You are looking for an actual recycling disposal can, where someone would get rid of recyclable materials, and not just any product that has the recycling symbol on it such as a plastic bottle. Once you’ve found one, take a picture of your entire team all completing any variation of the "Tree Pose" while the canister with the recycling symbol on it is clearly visible in the background. To view a picture of someone properly performing a variation of the Tree Pose click HERE.

#8: This weekend we celebrate Mother’s Day, which was originally founded in 1908 by Anna Jarvis. To honor the great women everywhere that deserve our praise take a video of your team members hugging or high-fiving any female who is pushing a stroller around town as you give her words of encouragement such as "we believe in you", "you're awesome", "you're doing a great job", etc. Make sure your video shows the stroller at some point, although the child doesn’t need to be recorded.

#9: Get to any clothing or apparel store and find two different items with enough in stock that every team member can be wearing the same two items in their own sizes. Then take a fun team picture with everyone wearing those items. For example it may be a wacky shirt, and a pair of shorts. Or maybe some cozy slippers and a large sun hat. As long as everyone is wearing the same exact two items but in their own sizes.

#10: Find someone 80 years old or older around the area. Take some time to chat with them, listen to a story they may have about the local area, or just ask them about their life. Then at some point tell them you work to give people beautiful smiles and take a video asking them the question “What moment in your life made you smile the most?”.

#11: With an average daily temperature of more than 90 degrees, there aren’t many things hotter than July in Raleigh. Well, except maybe this challenge. Anywhere around the area, take a video of your team members all at the same time consuming separate spoonfuls of any brand of hot sauce (the hotter the better). Make sure to show the bottle or packet of hot sauce in the video so it can be confirmed that it's actually hot sauce you're consuming. Disclaimer, this will likely not be pleasant, which is exactly the point. Because a team that suffers together, grows together.

#12: A core value of Kids Dental Brands is being talented, skilled, and striving to achieve goals with a focus on continuous improvement. So this challenge will test just how focused you are! Click HERE to get to the brain puzzles and then select “Memory”. Then, anywhere along the way have at least two team members achieve a score of 50 or more points. Once you have your two super focused teammates, take a celebratory picture of them while they’re displaying their phone screens and the point totals are clearly visible. You can also take a second close-up picture of the two devices to clearly show the point totals if necessary (for bragging rights amongst the other teams, of course).

#13: The Raleigh Fire Department, which was formed over 100 years ago, serves over 460,000 people spanning an area of 145 square miles. To honor the brave firefighters that protect this city, take a video of your team completing "Stop, Drop, and Roll" while any regulation/operable fire extinguisher is visible in the background, or you are standing in front of an actual fire station. Be sure to yell each step of the fire safety technique as you all do it together and make sure the fire extinguisher or fire station is clearly visible at some point in your video.

#14: The Carolina Panthers had the #1 pick in the recent NFL Draft so there is excitement around the upcoming season and their new Quarterback! Anywhere around the city find a logo of the Carolina Panthers proudly being displayed, worn, flown, etc. Then take a video of your group pretending to spike an imaginary football and immediately breaking into your very best celebratory touchdown dance while the logo is clearly visible in the background. If you need some inspiration for your performance you can click HERE.

#15: In order to become Raleigh’s most beloved citizen and have statues built in his honor all Andrew Johnson had to do was be born in a kitchen, never attend any school, and rise to the highest office of the United States. Find any life-size statue of the 17th president around the area and take a fun team picture with it, reacting wildly as if you’ve just met your longtime icon. Then after this event, live each day in a way that will make people want to build a statue of you in the future.

#16: A core value of Kids Dental Brands is being compassionate, by showing kindness, warmth, and a willingness to help others. Find a postcard that features this area in some way, or a fun greeting card, and purchase it. Then click HERE to go to the Love For Our Elders project, which is focused on fighting loneliness with love, one letter at a time. As a team, choose someone from their list whose story or background resonates with you. Then on your card include a fun or uplifting message and sign it. Stamp your card and take a picture with it to show you've completed your Act Of Kindness and then drop it in the mail along the way or after your event ends.