Chatting with Tony Gwynn, Jr. as he works to promote oral health

Less than five months after losing his father to salivary gland cancer, Tony Gwynn, Jr. took to a local elementary school to promote oral health and talk about the long-term benefits of having good oral hygiene habits.

MetLife treated second- and third-graders at Alice Birney Elementary School to a pop-up pumpkin patch complete with trick-or-treating, storytime, and some very special guests. Along with Snoopy and Charlie Brown, who were in attendance to greet and take pictures with the students, Tony Gwynn, Jr. was also there to read a story and talk about the importance of oral hygiene and healthy eating, as well as encourage families to take advantage of the upcoming Open Enrollment season. After hearing Tony read It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown students got a chance to ask questions, take photos in the pumpkin patch, and trick-or-treat for healthy treats such as apples, toothbrushes, silly bands, and plastic vampire teeth.

I was fortunate enough to sit down with Tony on Wednesday afternoon at Alice Birney Elementary School. He talked to me a bit about the MetLife event and the importance of stressing good eating habits and promoting oral health. He wanted to "put kids on notice about dental hygiene" and teach them good habits to help them take care of their teeth. He also thought it was important to encourage the parents who were in attendance to take advantage of the upcoming Open Enrollment season for health coverage, which begins on November 15th and stays open for three months. I was also able to ask Tony some questions about baseball, his thoughts going into free agency, and more good stuff; but that's for another post.

The MetLife event was just one of many appearances Tony has made throughout the community so far this offseason. He recently appeared on a local news program to talk about the World Series and yesterday he stopped by his and his father's alma mater to spend time with the Aztecs baseball team during their practice. After talking with Tony about what an impact his father made on the community of San Diego, he told me he wanted to continue that legacy. So far he seems to be doing a great job of it.