The Evening Rotary Club of The Villages is assisting veterans by funding a local initiative.
Members of the club are contributing money to Langley Health Services for the Smiles For Veterans program, which offers low dental treatment to low-income veterans in the region.
“Veterans do not usually receive a dental care benefit unless they were a prisoner of war or were injured and required insurance to fix it,” said Jim Bodenner, a Village Tierra Del Sol resident who volunteers on Langley’s Board of Directors.
Despite the fact that the initiative began in 2018, the Evening Rotary Club did not begin donating until early 2020.
“As a club, we donated $1,000 in startup costs and continue to give,” said Bodenner. “We want to make sure any low-income veteran in the community is able to receive dental care if needed.”
The initiative utilizes funds to reduce the overall cost of services from a $50 co-pay to a $5 co-pay.
Complete oral exams, dental hygiene and fillings are among the treatments provided by the program. More than 220 veterans have benefited from the program since its inception.
The program is supported by four organizations: The Evening Rotary Club of The Villages, The Rotary Club of The Villages, Summer Glen Veterans Club and The Sunshine State Veterans Fund, a nonprofit organization founded in 2017 to advocate for veterans and active service troops.
To learn more about the program or make a gift, call Bodenner at 616-866-8180 or go to rotaryvillagesevening.com and select service projects, then Smiles for Veterans.
“We have donated around $5,000 for this fund,” remarked Rotary Club of The Villages member Dick Phoebus. “The donation will help the program continue to provide complete dentures and other services to low-income veterans.”
The program, which is overseen by Paul Quinn, director of Radiology at Langley Health Services, benefits veterans from Marion, Sumter and Citrus counties.
“When going for service, they can go to one of three physical locations located in Ocala, Sumterville or Inverness, or they can schedule to have the mobile dental bus come out,” he said. “The money we have in the fund determines how many veterans we can help at a time.”
Contact Quinn at 352-569-2935 if you are a veteran who meets the qualifications and would like to schedule an appointment.