an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Your teeth play a larger role than what most people give them credit for. They are an integral part of the structure of your face, and healthy teeth are vital to diet, health and an overall sense of well-being. However, dental hygiene can often take a backseat in people’s lives due to a lack of resources.
That’s where Dr. Richard A. Weinman comes in. Devoting several hundred volunteer hours each year across several organizations including the
, in addition to the Special Smiles program, this Atlanta-based dentist gives his time and talent to treat more than 180 low-income patients annually across the state of Georgia, at no cost.
The average price of annual dental care runs over $600 according to
, and sometimes runs even higher. Dr. Weinman is giving people in need a reason to smile. We spoke to Dr. Weinman to learn more about his work involving free dental care.
What inspires you to volunteer?
My family inspired my volunteerism, especially my mother who volunteered for many, many organizations. My father always supported her, and always made it a point to give to many different charities. His contributions weren’t a secret; he wanted us to know that giving back was something he felt was important, like a personal responsibility. Some people have different hobbies, and for me, these different volunteer activities keep me busy and happy.
You are an active volunteer. Share some information about the organizations you work with.
Ben Massell Dental Clinic: Over 100 years old, this is the oldest continuous dental clinic in the country. It’s 100% charity. There is no sliding scale, so we are able to take care of the neediest people first. The staff is completely volunteer based, and we have more than 190 dentists on staff that include all specialties for adult dentistry, and we treat between 2,000 and 3,000 patients each year. I have volunteered at the clinic for over 35 years treating the people who fall through the cracks, both low-income and no-income people, and serve as a member of the clinic’s board of directors.
Donated Dental Services: This is a year-round charitable program that provides free, comprehensive dental treatment to Georgia’s most vulnerable people with disabilities. The elderly or those who are medically fragile. I led the effort to establish this program in the state after seeing how well the program did in other parts of the country. In 2016, the Georgia Dental Association made a three-year commitment to the Donated Dental Services program.
Special Smiles Program: I have been a volunteer with this program for 20 years. It’s run by Georgia Special Olympics and provides comprehensive oral health care information, including offering free dental screenings and instructions on correct brushing and flossing techniques to participating Special Olympics athletes.
Georgia Mission of Mercy: I serve in a lead role for the Georgia Mission of Mercy project, a two-day free dental care clinic that provides about 2,000 patients with nearly $1.7 million in care.
Let’s talk more about the Georgia Mission of Mercy project.
The Georgia Dental Association’s Foundation for Oral Health sponsors this free dental clinic about every other year. Approximately $150,000 has to be raised in advance to host an event of this size, and then in-kind donations are coordinated. Several hundred Georgia dentists and more lay volunteers gather from across the state to donate their time and expertise to provide dental care to thousands of adults in need. Basic dental services are offered to low and no-income adults including cleanings, fillings and extractions. We will see a couple thousand patients over this two-day period. These are people who are really down and out, and they’ll wait overnight in lines like you would for a rock concert. We see as many of them as we are able.
Describe your volunteer role as the Chairman of Governmental Affairs Committee for the Georgia Dental Association.
My job as chairman of the governmental affairs committee for the association puts me in the lead to ask for funds and help level the playing field a bit in supporting our dentists and providing care for the community. While the legislature is in session, we ask dentists from around the state to come in and talk about different programs we support. I attend about 6-8 sessions in total, and I might also be called on to testify in committees. Last year, we were able to achieve helping dentists with their student loans. This year, we’re working to address the shortage of dentists in rural areas, a crisis affecting all medical professions. We are asking to put into place a program that encourages new practitioners to work in underserved counties by offering to pay their malpractice insurance if they relocate. Lastly, we successfully got the state to commit to paying for a coordinator for five years to help facilitate donated dental services. This role helps the association continue their service to patients across the state.
Share one impactful story from your volunteerism.
One young lady had problems with drugs, which is common with some of the patients we see because they’re so out of it. They don’t take care of their teeth, they get horrible decay and their mouths become ruined. She came to me through the Donated Dental Services program. In addition to her addiction, she had anxiety issues. Once she recovered from drugs, she then became homebound because she was anxious about the way she looked. I took her on as a patient and restored her teeth. She was an attractive lady before her teeth were fixed, but she kept her hand in front of her mouth when she talked to you because she was that embarrassed. I’ve kept her as a patient since then to help her maintain her dental health. When she comes to see us now, she always says how our help changed her life.
You’ve dealt with some very serious medical situations. Explain.
Let me tell you another patient story. This patient was also referred through the Donated Dental Services program. She had stage four cancer and had such severe dental problems that her doctor stopped her chemotherapy because she would have likely died from dental infections if she took drugs to suppress her immune system. The concern was that she’d likely die from cancer if she continued on without chemo. I coordinated her care because it required some extractions, and because she wasn’t healthy we got oral surgeons involved in her care. We restored her dental health and got her back on chemo. Once we were able to get her squared away, we knew she was going to be able to take care of herself.
What’s one thing you want readers to take away from your service?
What people don’t realize is that it’s not uncommon for dentists to take on patients on a volunteer basis, whether they’re doing so through their church, for a clinic or organization. People sometimes stereotype us as those rich dentists making money and buying cars, but there are many of dentists that really provide for those most in need who don’t talk about it. They’re not tooting their horn, they’re just out there providing care. When we can make someone look good and get them out of pain, it’s a great feeling. It’s a great profession, I wouldn’t want to do anything else.
What’s your favorite part of being a dentist?
My favorite part of dentistry is restoring a patient’s smile. A patient can’t tell when something is technically correct, but everyone can appreciate when we give them an attractive smile.
Outside of Georgia, how can those in need get dental help?
Many years ago, as a fellow of Leadership Philadelphia, I attended a seminar where an accomplished anthropologist spoke about the power and influence of networks. She asked the group of leaders, “what is the most valuable currency that will move a critical agenda forward in your company or organization?” Fellows, which included CEOs, executive directors and other C-suite leaders, took their best guesses – money, power, position, influence – but none were correct. The greatest currency? Trust and respect, she shared. That is the currency that moves civilizations.
When we think about today’s society, it’s evident that trust and respect are valuable. When present, this currency propels economies and provides limitless opportunities with connections we make through popular apps – allowing us to stay in a stranger’s home while on vacation, or to take a quick ride to work with someone who drives their own car for a couple of hours each day. These are signs of the power and potential this currency provides, when trust and respect are present. The lack of it impacts our daily lives, from how we navigate our personal and professional relationships, to our confidence in important institutions. As we try to build a better world and move society forward, with the greatest currency seemingly lacking in critical places, I feel compelled to ask: who is responsible for change?
Last month at the 2019 World Economic Forum in Davos, the Edelman Trust Barometer was released. This study, in its 19th year, measures trust around the world in formal institutions – including government, media, nonprofits and business. The results were staggering. Only 1 in 5 individuals feel that these systems are working for them; nearly half the population believe these systems are failing them.
As the world faces more political challenges, people are losing faith in the power of government. Here in the United States, we just concluded the longest government shutdown in our country’s history. Political unrest continues around the world as individuals want and expect more.
We see people turning to businesses, specifically their own employers. Of those surveyed in the Trust Barometer, 76 percent said CEOs should take the lead on change, rather than waiting for the government to impose it – an 11-point increase in the last year. Further, 73 percent of people also agreed that a company can increase profits, and improve economic and social conditions in communities where it operates.
Interesting swings in the pendulum, when just 10 years ago the same Trust Barometer told a very different story. In 2009, after the financial crisis of 2008, people were looking toward government to fix challenges and hold businesses accountable. Only 38 percent of people surveyed back then had trust in business.
Now, people are starting to think locally, trust locally, and invest in their local networks. The currency of trust is moving to local communities.
Each year, Points of Light polls U.S. businesses to establish The Civic 50 – honoring the 50 most community-minded companies in the country and turning their results into a benchmarking report. The results from last year showed these same trends to be true. People are expecting more and companies are answering the call, moving from just being supporters of causes to becoming stewards of community resources, working in partnership with people and organizations to drive meaningful change in the communities where their employees work and live.
However, businesses cannot become the sole entity relied upon to do good. While many companies have found ways to innovate and increase shareholder value, and commit resources to social progress through their corporate social responsibility programs, not all companies are achieving this balance.
So when we think about the earlier question – who is responsible for change? – the answer, I think, is that it requires partnerships, an intersection of many groups, but it starts with individuals. Individuals who may possess money, power, position or influence, but more importantly, individuals who hold the greatest currency in the world, trust and respect.
In my last blog, I talked about the force of human kindness. It is the lack of kindness and empathy that leads to an unjust society. When you see someone with less, but don’t care. When you see someone being bullied, but don’t stand up. When you see a woman being harassed, but don’t intervene. This lack of empathy, the ability to look away, creates a sense of “otherness” and is likely the initial seed of mistrust. It is the force of human kindness that will change this trend – but it will take every person, man, woman and child, to act to create this wave of change.
People outside business and government must work to make change locally, get involved and raise their voice. People within institutions must speak up and say, “we can do better.” It takes all of us.
Indeed, we have the power – there is light in all of us, and we must use it for good.
Trends in Business & Social Good: What Changes Will 2019 Bring?
By Jenny Lawson, Chief Civic Innovation Officer
I am lucky to love what I do. For the last eight years I have had the privilege to watch and encourage the incredible growth of civic and social engagement in companies. Over this time, we’ve seen incredible growth – from only 24 percent of companies offering pro bono programs (CECP, Giving in Numbers, 2011) to 56 percent offering such skilled talent to communities today (CECP, 2018). From CEOs speaking out to Super Bowl ads focused on social action, companies are leading and lending talent and resources at an unprecedented scale.
This year, we are already witnessing more change. Each year in January the Points of Light Corporate Service Council meets to exchange new ideas, hear from experts and shape their company community engagement strategies. Over two days, members from leading companies gather to discuss building purpose into the center of their business and breaking down barriers that prevent people and their employers from taking action that changes the world. Just ahead of Davos, where CEOs and world leaders would tackle some of the toughest global challenges, conversations at this year’s annual CSC meeting helped us understand how the challenges we face in our own communities can be examples for larger social issues.
Through our work and partnerships with these companies, which are working to strengthen their value and connection to communities, we see a few trends for 2019 that haven’t made the headlines yet.
Companies are building out the “S” in ESG
The powerful environmental, social, and governance factors have rapidly weighted and shaped investment decision making. Spurred by BlackRock’s Larry Fink’s letter ahead of Davos 2018 and reinforced in his 2019 update, companies continue to develop measures to capture created value beyond profit. With a highly visible demand from stakeholders to tackle climate and environmental challenges over the last five years, and issues of governance watched closely by investors and creditors, clear and commonly understood measures around the “S” in ESG have been slower to develop. But 2019 promises to be the year of the “S.” Several powerful studies and initiatives are tackling social impact measures head-on. We see inspiration and action from:
Coalitions building consensus and reporting muscle among leading brands like CECP’s Investor Initiatives and Impact2030 efforts to build measurement strategies connecting the impact of volunteerism to the SDGs.
Companies are innovating how they work with the social sector.
With ESG awareness and interest flooding into business thinking, companies are seeking shared value relationships and opportunities with external partners and inside the organization, too.
Companies are expecting more measurement and data analysis and seeking transparency around impact and value from their nonprofit partners. Companies are also understanding that nonprofit partners need support, including pro bono staff time from the corporate world, to build the capacity and infrastructure to be meaningful data-driven partners. Initiatives like Booz Allen Hamilton’s Data Science for Social Good are opening new pathways and partnerships.
Moving beyond support to stewardship, companies are seeking next-generation collaborations among stakeholders, including clients, vendors and respected NGO partners, to add depth, leverage and shared value to causes that reflect authentic interest in social challenges that align with the voice and values of the brand.
While companies are driving to connect their social engagement strategies to authentic brand values and have natural alignment with their products and services, they are also understanding that the “whole employee” has relationships, social values and causes that they care about. As Gen Z comes into the workforce, companies are getting creative with community engagement strategies and initiatives that support employee passion as attributes of their authentic brand values. It’s a tricky but doable objective for an increasing number of companies, focused on blending a suite of opportunities from company-sponsored events, to matching gifts, to recognition for civic action through rewards. There’s a growing interest in more family volunteering, too, that may build as companies look to support millennial and Gen Z families.
Over the next year, we look forward to partnering with corporations and business to achieve these goals. As society expects more from business, we help companies engage their customers and employees in the challenges facing their communities and our world.
The Points of Light Corporate Service Council provides networking opportunities, best practices and new ideas that catalyze high-impact social change initiatives. To learn more about how your company could benefit from membership, connect with us at [email protected].
Honoring Dr. King’s Legacy Through Community Volunteerism
As the largest national day of service, MLK Day is valued as a day “on,” not a day off – an opportunity to reflect on the gains we have made, and re-commit ourselves to addressing contemporary issues facing our nation through meaningful civic dialogue and community volunteerism.
Each year on the third Monday in January, millions around the country unite in service to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King. And in communities around the country, Points of Light Network affiliates start the year off in the spirit of volunteerism and service, creating hundreds of opportunities for individuals, families, nonprofits and business to work together to build stronger, more resilient communities. This year, we want to shine a light on five affiliate organizations that not only brought together thousands of volunteers on MLK Day of Service, but are also committed to carrying forward Dr. King’s legacy all year round.
Hands On Atlanta
Hands On Atlanta provides diverse and unique service opportunities for its community, including arts and culture, youth and family services and hunger and homelessness projects. For MLK Day weekend, Hands On Atlanta brought together nonprofits, individuals, families and schools to honor Dr. King’s legacy and his vision of the “Beloved Community.” The organization engaged more than 2,000 volunteers to serve at 32 projects across metro Atlanta, participating in a diverse and impactful series of events at local nonprofits and schools.
At Truly Living Well, volunteers helped winterize fruit trees, composted and helped clean a pond. With a pop-up letter writing station outside of the King Center, participants joined the Atlanta Legends football team to craft encouraging messages for Atlanta public school teachers. Volunteers helped create a large mural at Frederick Douglass High School; sorted diapers and bundled clothing at Helping Mamas; and helped organize supplies for classes at the Amani Women’s Center, which gives refugee women a place to work and learn.
Jersey Cares
As a leader in volunteerism in New Jersey, Jersey Cares envisions a community in which everyone is motivated and empowered to make a positive difference. Since its founding in 1993, the organization has been engaging volunteers in rewarding and effective efforts that address local community needs. Each year on MLK Day of Service, Jersey Cares brings together people of all ages across the state to build a stronger New Jersey and give life to the words spoken by Dr. King, “Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve.”
This year, more than 3,000 volunteers engaged in more than 7,000 hours of service. Volunteer projects included revitalizing schools with organization and beautification activities, creating bravery award kits for children of deployed military parents, building birthday-in-a-bag kits for children who spend their birthdays in a shelter, and giggle bags for children in hospitals.
OneOC
Accelerating nonprofit success is the core mission of OneOc. For more than 60 years, the organization has provided volunteer opportunities, training and consulting for nonprofits across the Orange County, California, area to help them become as efficient and effective as they are passionate about their mission. OneOC celebrated its 20th year of honoring Dr. King on MLK Day of Service, and made it a “day on” through meaningful service opportunities for their community.
This year, OneOC partnered with the Orange County Food Bank in Garden Grove, California, to offer volunteer opportunities for individuals, groups, families and companies to address the critical issue of hunger in the community. More than 1,460 volunteers, including 64 family volunteer groups, participated and packed more than 12,000 boxes of food that will be distributed to low-income community members in need.
United Way of Central Carolinas
When neighbors help neighbors, people from all walks of life can solve the most difficult local problems and build stronger communities. That is the mission of United Way of Central Carolinas, as they focus on education, health and financial stability for every member of their community. Each year, the organization turns this spirit of service into an opportunity to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with family-friendly projects for hundreds of volunteers.
The organization’s MLK Day projects not only deliver valuable assistance to nonprofits, schools and other service providers, but they also allow participants to start the new year by reflecting on the meaning of Dr. King’s life of service. This year, the United Way hosted four project sites around the Charlotte area, where more than 1,000 volunteers came together to answer Dr. King’s call to serve. Volunteers made more than 200 crib blankets for new families in need, created more than 1,000 alphabet and number sets for students, wrote hundreds of encouragement cards for seniors, and created materials geared towards early childhood literacy. Whether it’s the needs of an entire neighborhood or simply the needs one family has tomorrow, United Way of Central Carolinas is dedicated to bringing volunteers together to help their community reach its full potential.
Volunteer Memphis
For more than 40 years, Volunteer Memphis has been connecting people with opportunities to serve their community. Volunteers are at work every day of the year tutoring and mentoring children, helping individuals and families make pathways out of poverty and create environmental conservation opportunities.
For its third annual MLK Day weekend, Volunteer Memphis partnered with more than 30 community groups to facilitate more than 100 projects that united residents in making a difference. Projects included outdoor clean-ups, tree planting, distributions of clothing to homeless populations, and mentorship activities with MENTOR. More than 2,000 volunteers collected more than 100 bags of trash, planted more than 40 trees, put hundreds of much-needed items into the hands of the homeless, and collected thousands of tires that will be recycled into one of the longest porous trails in the world. “We answered Dr. King’s call to serve and make a difference in the lives of all Mid-South residents,” said Andrea Hill, director of Volunteer Memphis. “Volunteer service is a powerful tool that unites us around a common purpose and builds strong communities.”
