Smiles Blog Archives

Smiles Change Lives Hospital Hill results & Thanks It is Smiles Change Lives’ privilege to everyone for supporting Team SCL in this year’s Hospital Hill Run. Between the runners, donors and volunteers, the run went off without a hitch. Twenty-three participants ran and walked on behalf of Smiles Change Lives, and each one of them finished! We had a great response from our volunteers who donated their (very) early Saturday morning to help. Together, we raised more than $14,000! Your support allowed us to reach out to children in need of life-changing, essential orthodontic treatment which otherwise would be financially out of reach for their families. SCL would like to thank you again. Your support will continue to help the youth within our community receive such a healthy smile that will last a lifetime. 0 Comments  |  Permalink Trapezio Launches the Academy of Treatment Coordinators Learning Management Systems adds Treatment Coordinator curriculum June 17, 2010 - Acworth, GA – Trapezio has officially launched the Academy of Treatment Coordinators, a new online course designed specifically for the Treatment Coordinator (TC). The new Academy program offers a comprehensive look at the role of the TC and provides ways to improve the new patient process for virtually any practice. It is now available as part of the new Learning Management System (LMS) offered by Trapezio. “This is an exciting addition to the Trapezio LMS,” says Linda Reese, Executive Director of Trapezio. “The TC is considered such a critical position in today’s economy, having the right person and the right experience in this role can make or break a practice. The new TC program brings a variety of perspectives to help improve production.” The in-depth content of the Academy of Treatment Coordinators is developed by an active TC who works full-time in a thriving practice. The author, Sandra Issiac, provides real-world examples and concepts that can be put to work for any orthodontic practice. Mrs. Issiac has created an engaging and informative 10-course program covering the new patient process from start to finish. The TC course covers a variety of topics including: the initial phone call, details of the office tour, exam room protocols, and ending with “closing the deal.” The lessons are structured to cover the entire new patient experience, bringing ideas and insight to polish current processes. Unlike most continuing education, the Trapezio LMS not only structures content as building blocks but also requires an examination at the end of each lesson. Successful completion of the course requires a passing average score on the ten exams. Scoring is securely stored in the system for administrative review and future assessments. This competency-based education model improves retention compared to generic web-based seminars or webinars. In today’s cloud computing environment, traveling is no longer a necessity to gain access to advanced and proven education on orthodontic fundamentals. Trapezio’s LMS provides easy access to not only the TC course but other orthodontic related training programs. With over 45,000 examinations already administered, the Trapezio LMS brings affordable continuing education to the doorstep of orthodontic practices worldwide. For more information regarding the Academy of Treatment Coordinators or the Trapezio learning suite, visit www.trapezio.com. About Trapezio – Founded in 1998, Trapezio offers convenient and affordable staff training for orthodontic team members worldwide. In addition to the online programs, which earn graduates a certificate of completion and the designation AOAC (Academy of Orthodontic Assisting Certified), Trapezio also provides hands-on training, supplemental lessons and other programs to help offices train high quality auxiliary personnel to complete their professional team. Created by Dr. Doug Depew, Trapezio empowers orthodontists to provide the highest quality care to patients in an environment that benefits the patient, the staff, and the doctor. Trapezio and its AOA curriculum are endorsed by the American Association of Orthodontists for educating and training orthodontic assistants through a platform that covers a variety of topics. For more information on Trapezio, please visit www.trapezio.com or call (877) 976-4536. Contact Chelsea Reese, AOAC 877-976-4536 news@trapezio.com 0 Comments  |  Permalink The face of need A cool morning in early spring might an unusual time of year to reference Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, but as I pass by busy city denizens on their way to work, I take note of how well off all of the passersby seem. And, if they weren’t that well off, would it be obvious to the casual observer as are the street people seen holding signs at various downtown intersections? In the aforementioned Dickens story, the Ghost of Christmas Present pulls away his great robes to reveal two children, and introduces their worn, dirty appearances to Ebenezer as Ignorance and Want. He tells Ebenezer to beware both, but particularly Ignorance because, he says, “on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased.” Modern-day American cities aren’t Dickensian England, true, but that doesn’t mean that deprivation doesn’t exist. Increasingly, phrases such as “the working poor” and “paycheck-to-paycheck” describe more of us than we realize. And, as more people find it impossible to keep up their mortgages, it could represent more of us than we want to admit. While there are no debtor’s prisons, as there were in Dickens’ era, to stigmatize those who live on the edge of poverty today, popular culture’s unrelenting fixation on status presents a real and concrete impetus for those struggling to hide economic hardship. If you see someone whose clothes are clean and ironed, do you automatically assume the person needs or receives assistance of any kind? Probably not. Whether the person has or is seeking a job, he’s going make sure he presents an image that ensures he’ll be perceived as professional. There are a lot of parents and kids whose outer appearance may dispel what we have learned to perceive as needy. The family’s income, while enough to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table and decent clothes on their backs, may not be enough to afford the high cost of orthodontic treatment. Especially if other incidental payments preclude even saving for braces. Depending on the size of the family, just keeping kids fed and clothed may encompass all, or most of, a family’s income. Add to that, any emergency costs, such as car-related expenses and braces fall even lower in the realm of possibility. When we recognize need that is hidden, we’re impelled to address it just as much as we would, through appropriate programs, those who can’t or are unable to disguise their want. It’s too easy to adopt cynicism because the clothes of the person who needs our help aren’t those of a beggar. Or that they drive a decent car. Given the severe financial quakes of the past two years, that car may be the last vestige of a formerly decent salary and the family who owns it may be ever-careful to maintain it so the car can provide a vital transportation to a new, if lower-paying job. Smiles Change Lives (SCL) isn’t about handing out braces like a person might give spare change to one of those souls standing with his sign at an intersection. SCL is about providing a hand up to families who want their kids to succeed, and who know that healthy, straight teeth are not to be taken for granted. The face of need is a child whose teeth make his life a daily struggle by bringing him unwanted attention, ridicule. Ignorance and Want are related in Dickens’ work for a reason. To ignore that the latter sometimes is not apparent makes us all guilty of the former. Melina Neet Melina Neet, 5/12/2010 0 Comments  |  Permalink A Mother's Day Appreciation It was obvious our 3rd child, Charity, needed braces for her severely over-crowded teeth. My husband and I were concerned as we watched Charity struggle with her self-confidence the older she became. Her sixth grade teacher commented that she often covered her mouth when she laughed or ate. And she always smiled with her lips pressed together. We knew we needed to do something, but just didn’t know how we could afford it. Then an orthodontist told us about Smiles Change Lives. One of the conditions when we began the application process was that the participant live in the KC area, which we didn’t see as a problem. However, my husband had an unexpected job change that would take us from Kansas City. We received Charity’s letter of acceptance into SCL on the day that we signed a purchase agreement to sell our house in the KC area. We were disappointed, but figured God had other plans. Shortly after our move to Southwest Michigan, we received an email from SCL, asking if we were still interested in braces for Charity. After learning of our move, SCL contacted us again and informed us they were expanding the program into other parts of the country and would try to find a participating orthodontist in Michigan, if we were interested. We were AMAZED over the next couple of months as SCL went to bat for us. The SCL staff seemed to really care about Charity and her need to have her smile “fixed” and kept looking, even after some leads turned into dead ends. SCL found Dr. David Cramer in Grandville, MI. He agreed to give Charity braces and as Charity said, it’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for her. Dr. Cramer and his staff have been so gracious; they’ve treated Charity just like a “normal” patient; and I feel like they do all they can to make her comfortable during the process. It’s almost been a month now since Charity had her braces put on, and my husband and I have just felt a sense of relief that Charity has a chance to have her teeth straightened. She seems more relaxed now, too, when she is around her friends, and not quite as self-conscious. Every now and then we’ll get an open-mouthed smile, too. We just really appreciate Smiles Change Lives, Dr. Cramer, and his staff for all they’ve done for Charity!! God bless you guys!! SCL Mother, 5/10/2010 0 Comments  |  Permalink Using Volunteering as an opportunity for growth When I started as a VISTA at SCL in April 2009, I had no idea it would be one of the biggest and most exciting years the program would have. Some organizations wouldn’t have been as aggressive and optimistic in their expansion efforts, as SCL has been! With all the program changes that were made during the second half of 2009, it got pretty hectic around here, but I don’t think anyone ever lost sight of the ultimate goal of the expansion efforts: to get more deserving kids in braces. Now that it has been a year since I started, I can see the benefits we’ve reaped from so much work – we’ve already approved and assigned over 100 kids this year alone, and it’s only April! I’m very thankful to have had such a wonderful experience working here. I have been able to see the daily commitment, energy, enthusiasm, and overall niceness of the staff – and as a newcomer it was very pleasant to come to work every day! This is a fast-paced work environment with a steep learning curve, but luckily everyone at SCL helped me learn how the program works and gave me the necessary training and tools to be successful in my position. Rachel Coleman, Participant & Alumni Relations Rachel@smileschangelives.org Rachel Coleman, 4/14/2010 0 Comments  |  Permalink a VISTA shares her experience Having come through the AmeriCorps VISTA program via a career headhunter, I’m not sure my expectations were the same as someone who applied, specifically, to be a VISTA in a nonprofit atmosphere. The VISTA training galvanizes you, makes you feel ready to start digging ditches. Or foxholes! To some extent, trying to write grants after the 2008 economic meltdown was like navigating a foxhole. I hate to use a war metaphor, but I feel like I’m coming out of a foxhole as I complete my VISTA assignment. What I’ve learned over the past year is that we’re not all that different, in some ways, from the people benefitting from SCL’s program. Sometimes, it becomes a matter of mental hand-to-hand combat to convince everyone of a benefit like orthodontics. Or of genuine need at all. Look how many people decried the President’s healthcare plan because they believed that everyone was equally able to provide for themselves. Such people probably don’t know just how many people living under the Federal Poverty Guideline in this country there really are. For a year, I was among them, and, philosophically, I broke bread with them every time I began a grant that would fund our program or sent out a press release that would raise awareness of its necessity. I don’t think I’ll forget the face of need, or of gratitude, when I complete my VISTA assignment. These are the lingering notes of any time, no matter how prosperous or how much that prosperity is shaken. The  AmeriCorps VISTA program allowed me the opportunity to be on the front lines of what SCL faces every day, which is the lack of orthodontic access for every kid, regardless his family’s income. I’m proud to have been, however briefly, a part of that fight. Melina Neet, Grant Writer/Media Specialist Melina@smileschangelives.org Melina Neet, 4/7/2010 0 Comments  |  Permalink