|
P.O. Box 421107, Dallas, TX 75342 214.630.1667 |
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 23, 2007
ATTITUDES & ATTIRE™ LAUNCHES “HOPEFUL SMILES” DENTAL PROGRAM North Texas Dentists Give the Gift of a Healthy Smile to Women Seeking Self-Sufficiency
DALLAS, TX— May 23, 2007- Attitudes & Attire™, a Dallas-based non-profit agency dedicated to the promotion of personal growth for women seeking self- sufficiency, announced that it has partnered with 14 North Texas dental professionals to launch a new program called Hopeful Smiles, offering critical dental care, free of charge, for women in the Attitudes & Attire™ program. Attitudes & Attire™ is actively seeking interested dental professionals for the Hopeful Smiles program and hopes to secure 25 participating dentists, serving one to two clients annually, for the program this year.
The development is one that Attitudes & Attire™ Executive Director Lyn Berman has been eagerly anticipating. “The Hopeful Smiles program has been an agency dream for a long time. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and our talented team of dental professionals, we are currently repairing the smiles of 12 women and will be able to reach our goal of treating 50 women annually by the end of the year,” said Berman. “Dental issues can have such a negative impact on a woman’s self-esteem, her willingness to pursue new, life-changing opportunities, and her search for employment. Hopeful Smiles will complete the transformation for the women in our program, giving them the confidence they need to create productive lives.”
Berman opened the doors of Attitudes & Attire™ in 1996 with a desire to help build self-esteem in women entering or re-entering the workforce. Today, Attitudes & Attire™ has served over 7,500 women in the Dallas- Fort Worth area, providing self-esteem coaching, job training, workshops on interpersonal communication and ethics, and professional interview attire from the non-profit’s boutique. Expanding services to improve the smiles of clients seemed like a natural progression to Berman. By restoring the dental health of clients, the Hopeful Smiles program will further enhance their professional appearance and confidence, ultimately improving their self worth and helping them in their search for self-sufficiency. Ninety-five percent of clients at Attitudes & Attire™ are single mothers with little personal or financial support and are diverse in age, education and ethnicity. All of the women in the program are working to overcome adversity and obstacles to finding a job. Many have completed some type of job training and are actively seeking employment to provide financial support for their children. Many of the clients have suffered from abuse, malnutrition, and addiction and, as a result, are in real need of dental care. Those most in need are suffering from dental disease and are missing teeth. Their dental predicament often becomes a severe hindrance to their self-esteem and their search for employment, making it difficult to find a job.
It was at a meeting with Mary Swift, D.D.S., P.A., a community-minded dentist and owner of Dallas Laser Dentistry, that Berman shared her hopes for a program that would help repair the smiles of the agency’s clients. Swift and her associate, Dr. Melisa Christian, enthusiastically signed on, urged colleagues to donate their services, and in November 2006, the Hopeful Smiles dental program was born. “Hopeful Smiles is a great program that serves an important need,” said Swift. “These women are working very hard to improve their lives and the future of their families. Whether we like it or not, we are judged by appearance. It may not be fair, but employment can depend on it, especially if the potential employment opportunity requires being in the public eye. A better smile could mean a better job.” The Rosewood Foundation and one of its board members have made a commitment for initial funding of the Hopeful Smiles program. Attitudes & Attire™ has also received a $10,000 grant from The W.H.O. Foundation to sustain the program in 2007 and a $15,000 gift from the Chi Omega Christmas Market for use in 2008. The Hopeful Smiles program was designed to be self-supporting and will continue as long as there are sufficient funds and enough participating dentists to sustain it.
The United Way of Metropolitan Dallas recently identified dental services for the underserved population as a critical need in Dallas. According to the organization, over 300,000 children and adults in the community have no dental insurance, and the number is increasing.
“The number of clients we serve at Attitudes & Attire™ continues to rise each year at a rate of 10%-15%,” said Becca Haynes, Attitudes & Attire™ Program Manager. “Since dental care is so difficult to obtain for the underserved population in our community, we anticipate the number of clients who will qualify for the Hopeful Smiles program will also increase. We are urging dentists to get involved and help us address this great need. ”
“We need more skilled hands to donate time to the program, and this is the easiest way for dentists to volunteer their services,” said Swift. “Most donated dental service projects are done at missions or clinics. It can be very challenging to provide dental care in an unfamiliar environment. With Hopeful Smiles, the patient comes directly to each dentist’s office for the work, and we refund the laboratory fees.”
Attitudes & Attire™ has established four criteria that each client must meet in order to qualify for dental assistance through the Hopeful Smiles program. Clients must demonstrate: a commitment to achieving self-sufficiency by completing the Attitudes & Attire™ core program; a need for critical dental services (dental disease and/or missing teeth); a commitment to sobriety (if that has been an issue in the past); and a commitment to appear at every scheduled dentist appointment and treatment.
Upon completion of the Attitudes & Attire™ program, clients in need of dental care may apply for the Hopeful Smiles program. Once approved, clients are assigned to a dentist and are scheduled for an initial consultation, at which the dentist provides basic dental hygiene services, including teeth cleaning and X-Rays, and develops a comprehensive treatment plan outlining the scope of services required to restore dental health. Once the treatment plan has been approved by the program review team, the dentist provides his or her services at no charge, and any hard costs charged by the dental laboratory are submitted directly to Attitudes & Attire™ for payment.
Stern Reed, a local laboratory, has signed on to the Hopeful Smiles program and agreed to give Attitudes & Attire™ a discount on lab services. Of the 14 dentists currently participating in the program, two are specialists who have agreed to work with the other general practice dentists to perform extractions and other surgical needs at no cost, and one endodontist has joined the program to perform root canals. Members of the Hopeful Smiles dental team have practices in North Dallas, Central Dallas, East Dallas, Las Colinas, Rockwall, Irving, and Duncanville.
“The Hopeful Smiles program shows these women that dentistry is a caring profession,” said Swift. “It shows my staff the importance of giving back to the community. It gives me a way to show my gratitude for the blessings in my life by sharing my skills with those in need. It fills my soul with pleasure to see these women smile proudly when they finally like their smiles again.”
Brandy McDonald, an Attitudes & Attire™ client recently accepted into the Hopeful Smiles program, has already attended her initial dentist consultation and wept tears of joy, gratitude, and anticipation for her new smile when asked to comment. “When I was accepted to the Hopeful Smiles program, I felt a feeling like I’ve never felt before. I left in tears and I didn’t care who saw me. I was so happy,” said McDonald. “I am so lucky. Even though my dental work is not yet complete, I already feel like a million bucks. The Hopeful Smiles program will improve my life by giving me the confidence I lost so long ago.”
Dentists and dental professionals interested in donating their services to the Hopeful Smiles dental program can contact Program Manager Becca Haynes at Attitudes & Attire™ at 214-630-1667 or email at becca@attitudesandattire.org. Attitudes & Attire™ is a 501(c) 3 non-profit agency. For more information, please visit the Attitudes & Attire™ Web site at www.attitudesandattire.org. # # # Attitudes & Attire™ is a 501©3 non-profit agency dedicated to promoting personal growth for women seeking self-sufficiency. The program provides tools to raise self-esteem, promote ethics and build the confidence necessary to succeed in the workplace. Since 1996, Attitudes & Attire™ has encouraged over 7,500 women to rediscover their own value and self-worth; vital qualities to securing a stable job and improving earning power. Approximately 95% of the women who participate in the program are single mothers who are struggling to overcome hardships, seek employment, and provide financial support for their children. Attitudes & Attire™ is located at the World Trade Center in Dallas. World Trade Center P.O. Box 421107 Dallas, TX 75342. Phone: 214-630-1667, Fax: 214-631-1117. For more information, please visit www.attitudesandattire.org. |
