(Reader Tip)
“Although we were wait-listed for 18 months, this organization for low-income families ended up providing braces for my child at a local, well-established orthodontist for only $650.00. We were very appreciative to the organization and satisfied with the outcome(Cleveland Orthodox Community Resident).”
(From Website of SmilesChangeLives.org)
The Virginia Brown Community Orthodontic Partnership was established in 1997 as a community-based orthodontic program to help children from families who could not afford the full cost of braces, whose self-esteem was impacted by having crooked teeth, receive orthodontic treatment. Now known as Smiles Change Lives (SCL), it has grown into a national organization with close to 750 orthodontists participating in the program. To date, nearly 10,000 children nationwide have received life-changing orthodontic treatment through SCL.
This is due to SCL’s unique model, which matches qualified children, who need orthodontic treatment, with caring orthodontists willing to provide such treatment. Each family must agree to abide by the program’s rules and contribute a set amount to SCL to be approved for the program. SCL uses these funds to recruit more doctors willing to treat more children. In this way, each family truly “pays it forward” – by helping their own child, they are making it possible for the next child to be treated as well. Since its inception, more than 99% of the children approved for SCL have successfully completed treatment.
Learn More at Smileschangelives.org >>
(LocalJewishNews.com does not endorse this organization nor has received fees for this promotion but shares reader submitted tips from time to time.)
Melanie Johnston says
I work with Smiles Change Lives and wanted to say thank you for the post. While we’ve been helping kids get braces for 20yrs now, we still seem to be the best kept secret. Each year we add more orthodontists and expand our capacity to treat more children. Our website has more information on how a family qualifies and applies to the program.