Over 300 dental care products donated to Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County
Boys and Girls Club of Porter County Club members will have brighter smiles thanks to donations made during America’s ToothFairy’s “Smile Drive.” The America’s ToothFairy ‘Smile Drive’ was held in partnership with National Children’s Oral Health Foundation, Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Walmart Stores to raise awareness and to promote oral health across the nation.
“More than 46% of our Club members live in low-income households and may not have access to regular dental visits,” said Cathie Dull, Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County’s assistant director of resource development. “The items donated through the ‘Smile Drive’ will help ensure our kids have healthy smiles.”
Throughout the month of February, community members and Wal-Mart staff filled the “Smile Drive” box located at WalMart stores in Portage and Valparaiso with over 300 new toothbrushes, tubes of toothpaste, and bottles of mouth rinse to help raise oral hygiene to help children and teens in the community.
To guarantee that local children will receive proper dental health, the Valparaiso WalMart store matched donations made by the employees who purchased items for the “Smile Drive.” “Our Co-Manager, Susan DeYoung really got behind the ‘Smile Drive’ and encouraged employees to participate” said Assistant Store Manager Cheyanne Titus said. “The store was happy to match the money the employees raised and contribute to the effort.”
Other organizations in the community also donated to the “Smile Drive” as well. HealthLinc staff donated money from their “Jeans for Cause” initiative. The funds were used to purchase toothpaste and tooth brushes for the America’s ToothFairy Smile Drive. “HealthLinc strives to make the biggest impact in our community, and we were excited to collaborate with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County on this cause,” said HealthLinc Valparaiso Site Manager Karen Bonner.