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Nonprofit Overview

Causes: Human Services

Mission: Providing medical and dental care to the homeless and lowest income people in our community

Results: In 2009 we completed a new facility and greatly increased the number of health care providers volunteering their time. We now have over 60 volunteer doctors and nurses. Each year we provide about $500,000 in free care to the poor. In 2008 we provided over a million dollars in free care. More than half of that was provided to the poor in Morocco where we provided dental care, cataract surgery, and general medical care. In 2010 we worked in the Navajo nation providing medical, dental and vision care to over 170 children.

Target demographics: Low income and homeless in need of medical and dental care

Direct beneficiaries per year: Hundreds to thousands each year.

Programs: Patient education, treatment of the poor and homeless, outreach to various locations worldwide. We have recently provided care in Mexico, Bolivia, Haiti, Russia, China, Belarus, Morocco and the Navajo nation

Community Stories

3 Stories from Volunteers, Donors & Supporters

1

Client Served

Rating: 1

Share a Smile Foundation has been a godsend to many people....BUT from my personal experience I was in very deep need of help being self-employed for 15 YRS and paying dentistry out of pocket is high.. So i have been obsessed with keeping my teeth n always brushed consistently but I felt within the past few yrs I've lost the war on cavities and weak enamel with chips of teeth chipping off all of sudden which of course brought my self confidence went down drastically down to depression..I became unemployed and now on government assistance which is hard for me to accept but at this time as a single mother I learned you can work hard and have everything and one day everything can be gone.. In loosing literally everything to almost homelessness.. So last year I thought I was beyond blessed n extremely graciously excited to be accepted for the Share A Smile foundation so I may be able to smile and laugh harder again and importantly have the confidence to apply for jobs and so on.. And so I went to my initial orientation and read all the guidelines clearly and the packet that gives information of all the services they provide and may help with your dental services and in return you do community service hours in exchange which was a no brainer.. I love to give and give back to the community.. So I knew my teeth maybe needed a root canal and bridges cause according to the packet this is what they provide and more for so much hours of community service hours for each service.. So I eagerly and quickly put in 40+ hrs of community service before my first visit.. And when I went to my first appointment with this Share a Smile foundation and I was treated horrible and the dentist came with no introduction or welcoming compared to paying for a dentist who are kind and understanding with some warm welcoming that I've been to in previous years.. So i thought okay since this is "free" service thats how they treat us like "scum".. Well thats part of my horrific side of this foundation experience ..To make it worst the dentist sits down and said well your teeth need too much work were just going to just take out all your teeth and get dentures.. A complete shock of over bearing thoughts of just unbelievable results. .. In the end I was crying uncontrollably that now I'm back to square one.. Is there another way or alternative I can turn to cause at this time I need immediate atttention and all the advice I can get??

Board Member

Rating: 5

I have loved being involved with the Share a Smile Foundation. Its amazing to see all the little miracles that have happened over the years. I love watching people's lives change and see how feeling cared about and loved can really effect people, whether here in our own community or in third world countries around the world.
I love the people we work with. The volunteers are all awesome and the staff at the Food and Care are amazing. Its a pleasure to work with all of them. I have really grown to love the clients and see the homeless as friends and not just a social problem
No matter how much I give I realize that I receive more than I could ever give. Its really changed my life.

Volunteer

Rating: 5

Share a smile is an amazing organization dedicated to helping the most impoverished people in our community. The work in partnership with the Food and Care Coalition in Provo Utah. They have a beautiful clinic housed inside the Food and Care facility where dental and medical care is provided to the homeless and poor of the community. All of the services are provided free of charge and the clients pay back the system by providing four hours of community service for each dental visit that they receive. There are over 60 dentists, nurses and physicians now that come and volunteer time at the clinic. All doctors and dentists volunteer their time. Most of the supplies are donated by local businesses and foundations keeping overhead very low. I have personally seen lives changed as people are treated. One person recently had a heart attack while eating dinner at the facility. One of our doctors was able to tend to her and help her arrange home health care to come in and continue her care. She has a 9 year old son who would now be an orphan if it hadn't been for the intervention of one of our physicians.