COSTA MESA, Calif. – December 9, 2013 – As part of CareCredit’s support of Give Kids A Smile (GKAS), the American Dental Association’s premier outreach program, a portion of the company’s 2013 $100,000 donation to the ADA Foundation GKAS Fund was used to sponsor an oral health education event on October 17, 2013, at Giddings S. Lewis Elementary school in Birmingham, Ala. This is the fourth elementary school education event sponsored this year with CareCredit’s annual donation to the ADA Foundation.
Lewis Elementary is a Title 1 school serving 275 students in grades Pre-K through 5. The event featured the 2min2x campaign created by the Ad Council, which educates children on the importance of oral health and encourages them to spend two minutes brushing their teeth, two times a day. The participating students also received free toothbrush kits. Communities and organizations can learn more about 2min2x by visiting 2min2x.adcouncil.org.
The school’s principal, Irene Hunter, was pleased to bring dental education to the young children at her school. “Although children must be knowledgeable when they graduate, they must also be healthy, engaged, responsible and caring people,” she stated.
“Poor oral health can create disease and discomfort for children, impacting their ability to be attentive in the classroom and learn,” added Cindy Hearn, senior vice president of branding & communications for CareCredit, a current GKAS National Advisory Committee member and ADA Foundation board member. “As a Founding Donor of the ADA Foundation GKAS Fund, we are pleased a portion of the grant was used to share education on oral health with these children.”
For more information about the GKAS events: visit facebook.com/GiveKidsASmile or follow GKAS on Twitter @GiveKidsASmile.
About CareCredit:
For more than 25 years, CareCredit has helped millions of patients receive needed and desired care. CareCredit is a healthcare credit card that can be used as a payment option for certain expenses not covered by insurance or to bridge payment when desired care exceeds insurance coverage, and it is accepted at over 90,000 enrolled dental practices. According to a recent 2013 study conducted for CareCredit by Chadwick Martin Bailey, CareCredit is rated a good, very good or excellent value by 97% of cardholders. CareCredit is accepted by providers who are members of most state and national dental associations including ADA Business ResourcesSM, AGD, AAOMS Services, Inc., AADOM, and AAP, and CareCredit is also recommended by leading practice management educators. For more information on CareCredit, call 800-300-3046 or visit www.carecredit.com/dental.
About the ADA Foundation:
As dentistry’s premier philanthropic and charitable organization, the ADA Foundation is a catalyst for uniting people and organizations to make a difference through better oral health. The ADA Foundation provides educational grants including dental student scholarships and allied dental scholarships; a variety of grants related to access to care and oral health outreach, including grants related to Give Kids A Smile®; and charitable assistance through its Emergency Disaster Assistance Grant Program and Relief Grant Program. The ADA Foundation also provides funding for the Dr. Anthony Volpe Research Center in Gaithersburg, MD (formerly the Paffenbarger Research Center). For more information about the ADA Foundation, visit www.adafoundation.org.
