Donations of dental hygiene products can be dropped off at any Great Expressions Dental Centers location in the Atlanta area. www.greatexpressions.com
October brought attention to Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Great Expressions Dental Centers wanted to give back to women and children who are victims of domestic abuse and/or homelessness. It launched the Dental Deputies program hoping make an impact to an Atlanta community in need.
“Many of the victims staying in domestic violence shelters are women and children who have fled their homes with only the clothes on their backs, so they’re in need of basic resources, including dental care items,” said Dionne Colbert, a dentist with GEDC in Stockbridge.
Many of the 7,800 victims who are able to escape to safety take refuge in domestic violence shelters in the local area. One of the shelters served by Dental Deputies was the Atlanta Mission. Rachel Solid, communications associate with Atlanta Mission, emphasized the importance of this community involvement for the people the shelter serves.
“Our goal is to try to help our families and get them back on their feet,” said Solid. “The dental hygiene kits are a great way to give back to our families. These are everyday necessities that the men, women and children in our shelter need and it really helps Atlanta Mission provide as many resources as we can to help our community.”
The shelter serves approximately 1,000 people per day.
GEDC’s Dental Deputies program will run through the end of November, but will collect donations into early December. The community can donate any dental care items, including toothbrushes, floss, mouthwash, toothpaste and more. Additionally, GEDC will donate a matching item for every item collected.
The program also partnered with local schools and daycares to collect dental hygiene items and participating schools received free dental care education from their local GEDC dentist.
“We are committed to the communities and patients we serve and continuously seek opportunities to support local organizations and causes,” said Colbert.
In other news: On Nov. 7, Verizon Wireless presented a $1,000 HopeLine grant to the Ahimsa House, a nonprofit dedicated to helping the human and animal victims of domestic violence, at the opening of its new Smart Store in Peachtree Corners.
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