Home page for Project Hope Alliance
KaVo Kerr Group employees worked together to obtain nearly 2,000 oral care products as part of an America’s ToothFairy Smile Drive, a national campaign to collect these items for at-risk children and raise awareness of the importance of oral health.
The Smile Drive started in February during National Children’s Dental Health Month, and culminated on March 20th, World Oral Health Day.
Seven KaVo Kerr Group locations participated: Anaheim, CA; Orem, UT; Hatfield, PA; Alpharetta, GA; Wood Dale, IL; Milwaukee, WI; and Charlotte, NC.
Together, they gathered 1,304 toothbrushes, 411 tubes of toothpaste, 244 packages of floss, and 24 bottles of mouth rinse. The Atlanta-based DEXIS Customer Care Center had the added distinction of being the Kavo Kerr business that collected the most products in the nation-wide Smile Drive.
The oral care products were donated to worthy organizations near the participating offices, including:
- Project Hope Alliance (Costa Mesa, CA) helps lift needful families up from homelessness and eliminating obstacles that prevent homeless children from attending and excelling in school. It has two main programs to achieve those goals — the Family Stability Program and Education Program. Currently, Project Hope supports over 300 children attending 39 different schools in 21 cities throughout Orange County.
- Kids on the Move (Orem, UT) provides services throughout Utah County to children with special needs and to assist families. Its mission is to support the development of young children through three main programs: Early Intervention, Early Head Start, and Autism Bridges.
- HOPE Atlanta (Atlanta, GA) provides the most comprehensive approach to tackling homelessness in the Atlanta region. It endeavors to uncover why individuals fall into a distressed state and how to connect them to the right service and support to get back on their feet again. By narrowing in on four key areas — housing, outreach, prevention, and emergency services — HOPE Atlanta is helping more people out of the cycle of homelessness and on to a path of a stable, healthy life.
- A Woman’s Place (Doylestown, PA) is the only domestic violence community benefit organization in Bucks County, PA. AWP provides a full range of programs and services to individuals experiencing domestic violence, their children, and the community.
- West Boulevard Boys and Girls Club (Charlotte, NC) is a local chapter of the national organization committed to offering kids a safe place to learn and grow.
- Joy House (Milwaukee, WI) is part of the Milwaukee Rescue Mission. The women and children who come to them for emergency or long-term support rely on the safety, love, and warmth of Joy House and its many services. It seeks to nourish and nurture them through training, education and spiritual guidance so they can make better lives for themselves — and for their kids.
- Shelter, Inc. (Arlington Heights, IL) helps and protects children who are abused, neglected, dependent, or in need of supervision. They do this by providing 24-hour emergency and longer-term care, creating community awareness and education to prevent such abuse and neglect, and promoting healthy families to reduce child abuse and neglect.
“We are so grateful that caring dental professionals across the country are helping ensure children receive the oral care products they need through the America’s ToothFairy Smile Drive,” said Fern Ingber, America’s ToothFairy President and CEO. “The participation of KaVo Kerr Group in the Smile Drive will help promote healthy smiles for local children while providing at-risk youth the tools they need to prevent the pain and embarrassment associated with tooth decay.”