“Christina’s Smile Dental Clinic” brings smiles to Scottsdale kids
Mobile clinic to provide free dental care to Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale
WHAT: Christina's Smile, a non-profit mobile dental care facility operated in conjunction with the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour, will provide free dental care to members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale. Approximately 40 children from ages 6 to 16 will be treated each day of the three-day clinic, a dentistry worth of approximately $65,000-$75,000.
The mobile clinic was started by Dr. Richard Garza from Austin, Texas, in 1989. Dr. Garza saw the need for children to receive quality dental care first-hand during 17 years of running his own practice. He wanted to develop a program that would impact more children and named it after his daughter, who died at birth 25 years ago.
The clinic is housed in a 48-foot trailer equipped with three dental treatment stations, x-ray equipment, and an instrument sterilization area. It travels to at least 20 communities across the U.S. annually, bringing quality dental care to children in need from inner cities, migrant worker camps, and homeless shelters as well as to children in residential treatment facilities and those from uninsured, working poor families. Between Dr. Garza, the local volunteer dentists and assistants, each child receives a comprehensive exam and immediately needed dental care like extractions, fillings, root canal treatments, and provide crowns and sealants.
WHEN: January 26 through January 28, 2009 from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
WHERE: Hartley & Ruth Barker Branch, 2311 N. Miller Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85257 (located on Miller Road in between McDowell and Thomas Roads by Eldorado Park).
WHY: Christina's Smile Children's Dental Clinic is a program designed to deliver quality comprehensive charitable dental care to children in need in the communities that host a PGA TOUR and Champions Tour tournament. For more information, visit http://www.csmile.com.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale provides quality youth development programs to children and teens through the organization's nine branches and 12 outreach sites located in Scottsdale, Fountain Hills, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Hualapai Indian Community, and other Northeast Valley neighborhoods.