Kemple Memorial Children’s Dental Clinic of Bend is the recipient of five substantial grant awards that will allow it to further its work in the community.
Kemple Clinic is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of children in Central Oregon by facilitating critical preventative, educational and dental treatment services for children whose families cannot access basic dental care.
Kemple Clinic focuses on early intervention and prevention services that are unique to the Central Oregon community, providing on-site clinic hygiene services as well as off-site screening and sealant programs. According to a recent study, Oregon children have some of the worst oral health issues in the nation. In fact, thousands of students each day suffer from dental pain or infection, making it difficult for them to focus on their studies and resulting in increased absenteeism. Kemple Clinic has received $80,500 in recent grants and will be able to provide services to more of these children thanks to the support of the following entities:
Meyer Memorial Trust (www.mmt.org) provided a $35,000 grant that will help Kemple Clinic expand children’s dental clinic services in the region. A private foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust’s purpose is to work with and invest in organizations, communities, ideas and efforts that contribute to a flourishing and equitable Oregon.
Oregon Community Foundation (www.oregoncf.org) provided a $25,000 grant to bring dental education and treatment to low income children who do not qualify for the Oregon Health Plan, partly through the purchase of mobile equipment so that Kemple Clinic’s services can be delivered off-site. OCF creates charitable funds that support the community causes they care about. Through these funds, OCF annually awards more than $60 million in grants and scholarships.
Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation (www.cowcreekfoundation.org) provided a $7,500 grant for Kemple Clinic to deliver on-site and in-school oral hygiene services to low income children and teens. The CCUIF’s mission is to add to the quality of life for people in the Cow Creek Tribe’s seven-county service area in southwest Oregon.
The Roundhouse Foundation provided a $9,000 grant to bring a school-based screening and dental sealant program to the Sisters School District. The Roundhouse Foundation’s goal is to encourage community enrichment and economic development through the arts in Central Oregon.
Dental Foundation of Oregon (www.smileoregon.org) provided a $4,000 grant to support and expand Kemple Clinic’s prevention and outreach education efforts and sustain and expand their dental treatment services. Founded in 1982 by the Oregon Dental Association, the DFO works to improve the oral health of Oregon‘s under-served children through advocacy, community grants to non-profit dental clinics and by taking dental care and oral health education directly to children on the Tooth Taxi mobile dental van.
With the new grant funds, many children will experience improved dental health that positively impacts their general health, educational progress and self-esteem. Suzanne Browning, Kemple Clinic’s Executive Director, states, “We are so pleased to have received recent support from these outstanding organizations. Their generosity not only provides critical financing to fuel our work, it validates the importance of our mission.” In addition to these grants, Kemple Clinic will also be one of seven beneficiaries of the Great Drake Park Duck Race, taking place September 8 and presented by the Greater Bend Rotary Club.
About Kemple Memorial Children’s Dental Clinic
Kemple Clinic was founded in 1998 by retired dentist and long-time Bend resident, Dr. H.M. Kemple. Dr. Kemple’s mission was to eliminate pediatric oral disease. To this day, Kemple Clinic strives to support that mission by providing free, high quality, on-site and offsite dental screenings and preventative education needed to promote the oral health and overall well-being of children in our community. Kemple also offers on-site hygiene appointments (cleanings, x-rays, risk assessments) at the clinic facility for underserved children in Central Oregon. If, upon assessment, acute dental treatments are necessary, Kemple Clinic works with more than 70 volunteer dentists in Central Oregon to deliver these urgent and critical dental treatment services to qualified children in Central Oregon.
www.kempleclinic.org
