Peachtree – The Rotary Club of Murphy is at it again with another community service project.
Members gathered at the Educate for Success Building on April 14, to assemble Smiles for Students’ dental hygiene kits. The kits will go to an estimated 3,100 school-age children in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, including Head Start, in Cherokee County. Each kit includes a toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss and an information sheet and will be handed out Friday.
Boxes were filled with donated supplies from area dental offices as well as from generous community members. A donation of two pallets of boxes filled with supplies came from Mountain CORE Mission in Sylva. Rotary members stepped up to complete the kits that will be ready for distribution Friday.
The project atmosphere was joyful with laughter and a vibe of friendly competitiveness with a few folks geared towards completing the most kits. Others put the kits together using the assembly line concept of each person doing something different with the result being a complete kit at the end of the line. Members appeared to be enjoying the task at hand.
“A lot of times we lose our ability to see the needs, especially of our youth. We hear a lot about the needs of adults, but sometimes that gets lost on the kids,” said Trevis Hicks, chair of the Rotary Scholarship Committee.
“For me, this is addressing a problem that’s a different need for the youth. Rotary is all about helping others and putting our service above self. Our club prides itself on looking out for the kids. For me, this really hits home with being able to help the kids, and one of the reasons I joined Rotary to begin with.”
Phyllis Gerke, secretary of the Murphy Rotary Club, said of the day’s activity, “This is good for the school kids who don’t have access to dental supplies because good overall health comes from good oral health.”
Some interesting information to consider regarding pediatric dental health, as provided by Cathy Yost, coordinator of Rotary’s Smiles for Students program:
- Babies should start having their teeth brushed as soon as they erupt and become visible.
- Teeth should be flossed as soon as two teeth are touching.
- Dental decay is the No. 1 chronic illness in children.
- 28% of children have at least one cavity by the time they reach age 3.
- Fruit juice should be limited and diluted with 50% water due to the high sugar content.
- Toothbrushes should be replaced every three months.