Community Resources are Everywhere....Just Need to be Shared

One of the coolest things about my role as Service Director for Group Life has been discovering how many organizations are out there to help people that are in need. They're everywhere! Offering things like help with rent, electric, food, job training skills for teens, clothing & shoes for city & county students in need, free glasses to the uninsured, free or reduced childcare for teen mothers, independence programs for the elderly....I could go on & on.

Check this one out:

TSU has a Dental Hygiene Clinic that offers many services including Basic Cleaning for children ages 3 and up and any age adults. The general cleaning cost is only $10. If x-rays are needed there is an additional cost of $12.
Their goal is to provide access to quality oral health care services and to assist individuals in eliminating and preventing oral diseases. The students provide the oral health care services under the direct supervision of licensed dental hygienists and dentists.

They do not fill cavities or perform any extensive dental procedures but they can refer patients to Dentists who require additional care beyond their expertise.

Other services include:
Oral Cancer Screenings; Treatment Plans, Oral Health Education, Denture/Partial Cleaning, Dietary Assessment and Nutritional Counseling, Crown Polishing, Fluoride Therapy, Dental Pit and Fissure Sealants & Bleaching

To schedule an appointment, call Misty Merritt at 615-578-9160. The address to the Dental Clinic is TSU, Clement Hall, 3500 John A. Merritt Blvd. Nashville, TN. You must make an appointment because hours vary.

I am so thankful for all of the wonderful organizations we have access to here in Rutherford County. Please share this opportunity with anyone you may know that could benefit from a service like this.

Also...please let me know if you hear of an organization that offers great services for our community members.

One Small Group Shares A Need....Another Group Influences An Entire Office

This is a story that I've been meaning to share with you all.

Chris & Aundrea Berkey's group shared a need with me in December about a family with five kids, whose home was lost in a fire. Upon communicating that need, Pete & Susan Cobb along with their small group decided to get involved. They wanted to do everything possible to assure this family would have a wonderful Christmas despite their recent tragedy.

Dr. Pete distributed a flyer hospital-wide. In addition to the gifts brought in by his office staff, there were other physician offices that sent money to help. "The staff at Stone Crest Family Practice did everything" said Susan, "I should have counted the number of gifts but it loaded the back of my mini-van (that has a very deep well) to the ceiling. This family had been living with a relative. When I delivered the gifts I saw the tiny room the entire family shared. The wide-eyes of their children when they saw the gifts was such a blessing. The office manager at Pete's practice also commented on the positive impact the project had on their employees. Everyone loved working together to support this family and felt a strong sense of community by doing so. It was great and I know they will be looking to do something similar next year."

WOW....isn't it amazing how many lives were touched & how God was at work via both of these small groups. Thank you Berkey group for sharing, thank you Cobb group for facilitating & thank you Stone Crest Family Practice for being so generous & loving on this family during such a tragic time in their lives. This is true community….working together to bring life-change to those who are in need around us.