BUSINESS & PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT knew my heart.” We have put braces on some kids who have not been able to obtain care because others in the family had significant medical conditions and expenses. One recipient is the daughter of a medically discharged veteran. For the most part, these are very grateful kids who come from hard-working families that have met significant struggle along the way. I have been blessed to know them.
–––––––––––––––––– We are working to find ways to identify those who have no other alternatives for obtaining orthodontic treatment, meet our chapter’s criteria, and want our scholarships. ––––––––––––––––––
winner, who finished treatment wrote us: “I absolutely love my new smile. Sometimes I still catch myself staring at my teeth in the mirror. Because of the fact that I had braces I can now smile and talk without people pointing out my ‘messed-up’ teeth. I have a new sense of confidence that I never thought I would have.” Her mother thanked us saying, “You are helping these children; you are making them confident; you are helping them to feel good about themselves and in the process, you are teaching them that there is hope, that maybe one day, they can change someone’s life too.” Recently, we awarded a scholarship to a young girl who is being raised by
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grandparents. She is one of several whose grandparents have stepped in after parents abandoned them, passed away, or were incarcerated. We have treated recent immigrants from Romania and Vietnam. We provided a scholarship to a lovely single mother who graduated from the foster care system and was struggling to go to school and provide for her daughter (she is now a dental assistant). In her application, she said, “All my life, I’ve struggled with having confidence. Getting braces would bring new meaning to my life. I have so many abnormalities and was picked on a lot for my teeth, my height, my weight, and my color (I‘m bi-racial). I’ve always hidden my smile…If only people
It’s just BUSINESS
Amazingly, our biggest challenge is finding qualified candidates. We are working to find ways to identify those who have no other alternatives for obtaining orthodontic treatment, meet our chapter’s criteria, and want our scholarships. While we expected to have a mountain of applications to review, we seldom have enough qualified candidates to award all 12 annual scholarships. We have come to believe that those who apply are there for a reason. And there’s great joy in being able to provide those smiles that we hope will change their lives and also touch their hearts. We are often overwhelmed by the myriad of needs in our community. Sometimes the need feels insurmountable, and we wonder how we can do anything to make a difference. While one new smile may not change the world, it can certainly change the world for the one receiving it. And that makes it all worth it. For more information on how to become a provider, please visit S4L.org