7/27/2010 To whom it may concern: The Kaiser Family Center is a 120-day program designed to help the working poor achieve self-sufficiency. It assists homeless families and single parents with minors by providing shelter and support services while adults establish full-time employment. The Center also encourages families to begin building a solid foundation for the future, requiring adults to save 60% of all household income during their stay. Ultimately, the goal is to empower families, helping them develop the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to maintain a stable lifestyle once they leave the program. The Kaiser Family Center services an average of 400 children a year with at least 80% of them needing dental services. A vast majority of our children have never seen a dentist. Community Dental has provided us with onsite dental services for our children and has really brought the smiles back to the Kaiser Family Center. Our partnership with Community Dental has helped us to meet a huge need. Community Dental stays in close contact with us and ensure that our children receive the dental services they need. They offer us an invaluable resource for our community. I have received nothing but positive feed back from staff and clients alike in regards to Community Dental. Their staff is extremely professional and caring. In a recent visit we had a 9 year old boy who was so excited to see the dentist. He heard that Community Dental was coming to the Kaiser Family Center and he asked me if they could fix his teeth. He had a couple cavities and a chipped tooth. Every time he saw me in the hallways he would ask “are they still coming?,” “When are they coming?,” “Did my parents turn in the paperwork?,” he wanted to make sure he got to see the Dentist. When the day finally arrived he came to me and said “I am not going to see the Dentist my Dad said I can’t.” I caught his father in the hall way a little later and asked him about his son going to see the Dentist. He told me he was scared and did not want to go because he thought he was going to have to get a shot. I went and found the young man and convinced him to go see the Dental van. Once he entered the van he was greeted by the warm and caring staff. They immediately made him feel safe and comfortable and talked with him about what they would need to do. He let them fix his teeth and he was so happy. He was smiling from ear to ear for days after. This is just one example of the impact a trip to the dentist can make on a child. The services Community Dental offer not only help our children to have healthy smiles but it also help with their self-esteem. We are very pleased with the work that Community Dental has done for our community and look forward to a long relationship with them. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to contact me at any time. Thanks, Jimmy Davis Lead Advocate The Salvation Army, Kaiser Family Center Phone: (602) 267-7179 Fax: (602) 267-4137 jimmy.davis@usw.salvationarmy.org
Review from Guidestar
August 2, 2010 To Whom It May Concern: The Mercy Court Apartments provides affordable housing within the Phoenix Metropolitan Zip Code 85017 and is glad for its recent collaboration with Community Dental on April 8, 2010! We have partnered up with Community Dental to offer dental services to our community because we recognized there is a huge need. We stay in close contact with Community Dental and appreciate the resource we otherwise would not be able to provide our residents. When Community Dental is on-site, they arrived early and stayed till 9:00 pm, which was convenient for the families. We do not know anyone else who provides dental services at these hours. Since inception with them, we have only positive things to say, and the feedback we get from the community has only been positive. Many of the parents do not have a vehicle, so this is very convenient for them to walk over within the complex to bring their children to get needed dental services. Community Dental is providing the dental care already for children starting with age two, which helps the families meet head start requirements. We look forward to them returning in October 2010 for the resident 6-month follow-up! Thank you and please contact me with any questions. Robert “Bob” Amavisca Resident Services Coordinator II Mercy Court Apartments (602) 246-4730 bamavisca@mercyhousin.org Tell your story here and help others understand this charity
Review from Guidestar
August 3, 2010 To Whom It May Concern: My name is Kimberly Williams and I am the Wellness Center Coordinator for the UMOM New Day Centers, the largest family shelter in the state of Arizona. The Wellness Center is a clinic at the UMOM New Day Center family shelter. In addition, I serve as the Clinical Manager for the Crews’N Healthmobile, a medical mobile unit from Phoenix Children’s Hospital that serves homeless youth up to the age of 25 years. The mission of the UMOM New Day Centers is to provide shelter, food and tools to build a bridge to self-sufficiency. They currently house 130 families that consist of up to 200 adults and up to 500 children. My responsibilities include creating a healthy living environment that supports the families to improve and maintain their health. One of the first things I did when I was hired as the Wellness Center Coordinator was to search for dental services for the children living at UMOM. My search led me to the Community Dental Foundation and our partnership started immediately. Since September 2009, the Community Dental Foundation has been on-site to provide high quality dental care to the families at UMOM and the service has been remarkable. Staying until 9:00 p.m. has been incredible for the families because many are working or going to school during the day. Since inception with them, we have only positive things to say, and the feedback we get from the community has been positive as well. Many of the parents do not have a vehicle, so this is very convenient for them to walk over to bring their children to get needed dental services. Community Dental is providing the dental care already for children starting with age 2 which helps the families to take care of the head start requirements too. I sincerely appreciate Community Dental Foundation’s dedication and commitment to providing great dental service to the families living at UMOM. Their service has improved the overall dental health of the community which has made a great impact on the families’ ability to improve and maintain their health. Thank you, Kimberly Williams Kimberly Williams, RN, BSN Clinical Manager, Crews’N Healthmobile Phoenix Children’s Hospital (602) 546-5344 office Kwilliams2@phoenixchildrens.com Wellness Center Coordinator UMOM New Day Centers kwilliams@umom.org
Review from Guidestar