A reason to smile
Posted: November 1, 2011
Approximately 350 underprivileged elementary school children went home with brighter smiles because of Give Kids a Smile® Day (GKAS) held April 15 on the A.T. Still University campus in Mesa.
Students from the Mesa and Apache Junction Public School Districts and, for the first time, children from the Catholic Healthcare West dental program, visited ATSU-ASDOH to receive free basic dental care.
Through a partnership with the Arizona Dental Foundation (ADF), ATSU-ASDOH students and faculty took part in Give Kids a Smile® Day for the sixth consecutive year along with volunteers and volunteer dentists from around the Valley. More than 400 volunteers participated in the event.
According to Ginger Froncek, executive director of the ADF, the donated oral healthcare provided through GKAS is approximately the equivalent of $300 per child, with this year’s ATSU-ASDOH event totaling $105,000 in care.