Home > Promising Practices > Smile for a Lifetime: Sonoma County

Smile for a Lifetime: Sonoma County

A Good Idea

Description

Smile for a Lifetime Foundation (S4L) is a charitable non-profit organization that provides orthodontic services to underserved children with orthodontic needs. Launched in 2008, S4L was originally founded as a local program in Arkansas and became a national program. S4L partners with local chapters and orthodontists who provide pro bono work, and with companies such as Ormco, which donates all supplies for treating the children, and Televox, which provides marketing. Each local chapter has a Board of Directors who selects patients for treatment from submitted applications by eligible children.

Goal / Mission

S4L strives to create self-confidence and change the lives of underprivileged children by providing orthodontic services at no cost.

Results / Accomplishments

In the past three years, since expanding to a national program, the foundation has served hundreds of children in 35 states in the past three years since it has become national. Its goal for the next five years is to serve 1000-1500 children in all 50 states and Canada. In 2011, Sonoma County orthodontist Dr. Rael Bernstein provided eight underprivileged children with orthodontic care. Dr. Bernstein has pledged to continue caring for at least eight children every year for the next 10 years.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Bernstein Orthodontic Group and Smile for a Lifetime Foundation
Primary Contact
Smile for a Lifetime Foundation
2245 Montgomery Dr.
Santa Rosa, CA 95405
(707) 575-0600
amy@bernsteinbraces.com
http://www.bernsteinbraces.com/community
Topics
Health / Oral Health
Health / Health Care Access & Quality
Health / Children's Health
Organization(s)
Bernstein Orthodontic Group and Smile for a Lifetime Foundation
Date of implementation
2008
Location
Sonoma County
For more details
http://www.s4l.org/
Target Audience
Children
Additional Audience
Low-Income
Submitted By
Smile for a Lifetime: Sonoma County

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A Good Idea meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program funding source, program implementation steps and outcomes.
  2. The program evaluation is limited to descriptive measure(s) of success/accomplishment (i.e., program participation rates, number of services/education sessions/radio messages provided). Note: oftentimes, the program has been newly implemented and a program evaluation has not yet been conducted. Programs that have not yet been evaluated, but which show promise in improving health or quality of life, are classified as Good Ideas until an evaluation is conducted.
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