- December 4, 2025
Melanie Currie and Angelo Ybarra giving out free Little Smiles swag. Photo by Alexis Miller
Group selfie action with Vanilla Ice. Photo by Alexis Miller
Ben Herman, Xavier Gonzalez, and Dustin Semore keeping busy serving drinks at the inside bar. Photo by Alexis Miller
Samantha Sheppard, a Little Smiles Board member, with Delaney Currie and Angelo Ybarra in front of their little Smiles van. Photo by Alexis Miller
Amber and chandler Simms showing off their limited time Slices For Smiles pizza box featuring Vanilla Ice. Photo by Alexis Miller
Partners from all 13 stores came to help at the Hammock Beach location for the Slices For Smiles event. Photo by Alexis Miller
One out of many of the bronx house partners helping make pizzas on this big occasion. Photo by Alexis Miller
Some behind the scenes pasta action at the Bronx House. Photo by Alexis Miller
Evan Mulvey rocking his Little Smiles hat. Photo by Alexis Miller
The Hammock Beach location is 1 of 13 Bronx House locations all owned by Brad Beam and Bruno DiFabio. Photo by Alexis Miller
Ricci Wooters and Alexis Rivera serving drinks and smiles. Photo by Alexis Miller
The Bronx House Pizza owners Bruno DiFabio and Brad Beam excited for the 2nd annual Slices For Smiles event. Photo by Alexis Miller
The Thompson family interacting with Flagler County's very own Officer O'Barr. Photo by Alexis Miller
The Johnson family ready for pizza and great music. Photo by Alexis Miller
Jennifer Harrell, the executive director of Bronx House and official t-shirt seller. Photo by Alexis Miller
The warm introduction everyone was waiting for from Vanilla Ice. Photo by Alexis Miller
Vanilla Ice's signature saying, "Smiles are contagious" is featured on the t-shirts and special edition pizza boxes. Photo by Alexis Miller
Vanilla Ice signing autographs in the crowd for fans. Photo by Alexis Miller
Vanilla Ice in the DJ booth warming up for his surprise performance. Photo by Alexis Miller
Bronx House Pizza owners, Brad beam and Bruno DiFabio, with Rapper and Movie Star Vanilla Ice. Photo by Alexis Miller
Bronx House Pizza and rapper Vanilla Ice hosted the second annual Slices for Smiles event Sunday, Oct. 19, in The Hammock, aiming to raise $200,000 for the Little Smiles Foundation.
The Little Smiles Foundation, a Florida-based nonprofit, brings joy, comfort, and special experiences to terminally ill children and their families. Their efforts include delivering toys to hospitalized children, sponsoring trips to Disney, providing meals for families, and adding new resources to local hospitals. Last year, the organization helped install two sensory rooms at AdventHealth Hospital in Daytona Beach.
The foundation has impacted more than 3,000 children in the Palm Coast area through its work with AdventHealth and Halifax Health.
Bronx House Pizza owners Brad Beam and Bruno DiFabio said the event not only brings smiles to children’s faces but also unites the community in support of a meaningful cause.
Bronx House Pizza opened in 2019 and has since expanded to 13 locations, with more under construction. The Hammock location is at 5384 N. Ocean Shore Blvd.
Each store is operated by team members who have been promoted from within the company. Beyond Slices for Smiles, Bronx House contributes year-round to local food drives, homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, and other community charities.
“What’s unique about us is we really like to give back to the community and not just at events like this,” DiFabio said. “Once a year, we give 100% of sales to a local charity. Our local charities can be women’s shelters that are in favor of preventing violence to men, women and children; homeless shelters; adolescent homeless shelters; the Salvation Army; and food banks. We also do food drives with elementary schools where we give them pizza parties in exchange for the children bringing in donations from their house. It’s part of our core to be a great neighborhood partner.”
At last year’s inaugural Slices for Smiles event, Bronx House raised more than $125,000 — every dime of which went to the Little Smiles Foundation.
“The following day, we went to Halifax Health and their pediatric unit and took the money and were able to bring children toys and gifts and clothes, and went to AdventHealth in Ormond to their pediatric unit and did the same thing,” Beam said. “Over the course of the past year, we’ve continued a friendship and relationship with both of the hospitals, feeding the nurses during Nurses Week, bringing meals and feeding the families of children that are there. And not only that, but they built two sensory rooms in both hospitals over the course of the past year with the money that we raised last year.”
Special guest Vanilla Ice, or Robert Matthew Van Winkle, returned this year to help raise awareness for Little Smiles, surprising attendees with a live performance in the rain. Fans of all ages joined him on stage to sing and dance.
“Little Smiles means everything to me,” Van Winkle said. “It’s neat to see that there are so many people from Palm Coast and St. Augustine that actually come out and have a heart and they bring their appetite. It’s one of the greatest things ever, and to see it firsthand when you walk through those hospitals like I do — we take these kids out of those environments and put smiles on their faces instead of tears.”
Vanilla Ice’s signature phrase, “Smiles are contagious,” was printed on the event’s pizza boxes. The Little Smiles Foundation also hosted a booth with free merchandise and information about their mission.
Special event T-shirts were sold throughout the evening, with many signed by Van Winkle himself during the meet-and-greet portion of the event.
