Dear Santa Clara County Dental Society member,
As we wrap up 2020, we want to give you an update on your Santa Clara County Dental Foundation and what we have done, even in a crazy year when so many activities have been impossible. We started off 2020 covering the costs of the annual Give Kids A Smile school-based dental screening program in February, National Children’s Dental Health Month. 68 volunteer SCCDS dentists and about 150 dental assistants and hygienists fanned out to 45 schools in nine school districts and nine Boys and Girls Clubs over three days to perform 5,016 dental screenings. Perhaps you participated. This program, which is greatly appreciated by the school nurses, will not likely happen in February 2021, but we hope to resume when it is safe to do so.
As the effects of the pandemic hit locally, our Foundation sprang into action to provide funds to Feed the Need, a program coordinated by the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce to provide fresh, hot meals to the hospital personnel at O’Connor Hospital, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, Regional Medical Center, Good Samaritan Hospital and El Camino-Los Gatos Hospital. This was a great program because it also helped local restaurants. The restaurants were paid $10 for each meal at a time when they were closed and needed business and the stressed hospital personnel were able to sit down and enjoy a nice meal. Recently, we made a gift to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s special fund to assist fire victims.
Our signature pro bono care program which links patients referred from several local community organizations to dentists who volunteer to provide basic dental care obviously has been on hiatus during the shutdown and ramp-up. As things approach normalcy (whatever that will be) we hope to revive this program, perhaps with some changes, so that we can help more local residents who do not have access to care.
But our scholarship program is in full swing. As we did last year, we have committed $15,000 to scholarships for dental assisting and hygiene students at Foothill College, San Jose City College, Carrington College and Silicon Valley Career Technical Education. Program directors have received the application materials and are getting them out to their students as we write this. Last fall, we had 26 applicants and selected 17 to receive scholarships. We had planned to introduce these recipients to you at the March 12 general membership meeting, but of course, we had to cancel that.
We hope you’ll agree that our funds have been well used and the SCCDF is worthy of your investment going forward as you pay your 2021 tripartite dues or consider your end-of-year giving. We’ve made it easy to make a donation. Please note that there is a check box on your tripartite dues invoice where you can choose an easy one-time or monthly deduction from your checking account.
We are also happy to accept a contribution of any amount via online donation or a check mailed to 1485 Park Ave., San Jose 95126, payable to SCCDF.
We so appreciate the past support of our donors and ask for your continued support, or a new commitment, to the Santa Clara County Dental Foundation.
Sincerely,
Stephen Beveridge, DDS, co-President
Liza Karamardian, DDS, co-President