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Kemple Memorial Children’s Dental Clinic is kicking off its 15th annual Brighter Smiles Campaign, which runs May 1 through June 30 at participating Central Oregon dental offices.
The Brighter Smiles Campaign is Kemple Clinic’s largest annual fundraiser and it provides people with the opportunity to purchase professional teeth whitening services from participating dentists for just $200 – a 50 percent savings. According to Kemple Clinic’s Executive Director, Suzanne Browning, “Supporting Brighter Smiles is very easy. Simply confirm your dentist is participating, schedule your whitening appointment before the end of June, and make your check out to Kemple Clinic so your dentist can pass your contribution on to us.” Those contributions ensure underserved children in Central Oregon don’t have to live with the painful consequences of unidentified, untreated oral health issues. Last year, thanks to a significant matching grant from the Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund, the Brighter Smiles Campaign raised nearly $53,000, all of which funded Kemple Clinic’s mission to provide care for children and young whose oral health is at risk.
Kemple Clinic celebrated its 20th anniversary at the end of 2018, and during that year over 6,000 children received cost-free dental screenings and over 1000 children received dental sealants applied in schools and other community partner venues. Additionally, nearly 500 patients received preventative, diagnostic, acute or restorative care free of charge – care that is often difficult for low income families to access. Browning explains that funds from the Brighter Smiles Campaign are, in large part, what make this work possible. “We are fortunate to have such strong community support for our mission and this campaign’s popularity increases every year. Not only are participants helping us create beautiful, healthy smiles for local children, they get to start off the summer with their own stunning, white smiles.”
The Brighter Smiles Campaign starts May 1 and runs through June 30 but interested patients are urged to make their appointments early. A current list of participating dental offices can be found at kempleclinic.org/events/brighter-smiles-campaign/. Dental offices that would like to participate in this year’s Brighter Smiles Campaign are invited to contact Kemple Clinic directly at info@kempleclinic.org.
