By Pete Borello
 TOWN CRIER FILE PHOTO A Community Services Agency dentist examines students’ teeth at a local Mountain View elementary school. |
The Town Crier Holiday Fund annually disburses donations to area non-profit organizations that benefit those in need. This year 15 organizations will receive funds. This week we profile two of these non-profits.
Community Services Agency dental program
The truth is in the teeth. The numbers indicate that the Community Services Agency’s dental program, supported by the Town Crier’s Holiday Fund, is having an impact on underserved students in the community.
“When volunteers go to the schools, they’re seeing better oral health,” said Maureen Wadiak, associate director of CSA, which provides an array of services for the needy in Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View. “There are fewer cavities.”
Particularly in the Mountain View-Whisman School District, which serves many children of low-income families who might not see a dentist if it weren’t for the volunteers dispatched to their schools to provide examinations. The district nurse has seen a noticeable decline in children’s complaints of dental pain over the past year, according to Wadiak.
“It’s the fruits of our labor,” she said.
Wadiak credits the educational aspect of the fifth-year program for giving Mountain View-based CSA and its clients something to smile about. The program not only identifies tooth decay and helps pay for treatment, it also requires patients and their families to meet with CSA staffers before and after the procedure to learn better brushing, flossing and eating habits that lead to healthier teeth.
“That’s the whole point - educating the kids and the parents,” said Wadiak, who noted that the program is an “oral health collaborative” with dentists, dental hygienists and hygiene students.
It wasn’t long ago that a boy, no older than 6, came to CSA for his follow-up and showed Wadiak and company just how much he learned.
“He ratted out his mother,” Wadiak said with a chuckle. “He was brushing well and she wanted to reward him with candy. He said, ‘No, that’s not good’ - he admonished her. She was embarrassed, but we were thrilled. When you hear that, you know the message is getting through.”
CSA wants to spread that message in new ways. Wadiak said there are plans to establish “a lending library” that would include puppets and videos (in English and Spanish) that teach proper oral hygiene. Some of the money provided by the Town Crier Holiday Fund would go toward the library, according to Wadiak.
Most of the funds CSA receives for the program are spent on dental work, however. Although CSA seeks out dentists willing to do the work at a reduced rate, “it’s not cheap,” Wadiak said.
The program goes beyond helping children - it also serves seniors in need. Many of them are in health-care facilities where “primary certified nursing assistants are stretched to the limit,” Wadiak said. “They don’t have the tools or education or technique to brush dentures properly or brush the teeth of those who have impaired mobility.”
CSA is located at 204 Stierlin Road, Mountain View. For more information, call 968-0836 or visit www.csacares.org.
Community Health
Awareness Council
It seems there is no problem too big - or too small - for the Community Health Awareness Council.
CHAC “works with the whole gamut” of students at Los Altos and Mountain View public schools, according to Executive Director Monique Kane, from those addicted to drugs to those anxious about taking a test.
Substance abuse ranks among the most serious problems, and donations from the Town Crier Holiday Fund are designated to support counseling and other services to families dealing with addiction.
CHAC counselors have a presence on the campuses of Los Altos and Mountain View high schools to help prevent or correct such destructive behavior, and to support students going through other emotional issues. CHAC also reaches out to the area’s elementary schools to promote healthful lifestyles.
A grass-roots organization that began in Mountain View 33 years ago, CHAC doesn’t just help students - it also assists their parents in an effort to alleviate problems at home. Kane cited a recent of example of CHAC’s aiding a family dealing with domestic violence.
“The wife was leaving her husband and we gave her support, and the kids were seen by counselors,” Kane said. “We gave her resources to help find housing and referrals for a job.”
Kane, who has been with CHAC for 21 years, never tires of the success stories.
“The most gratifying thing is to see all the families we’ve impacted in a positive way,” she said.
Recently, a 19-year-old approached Kane at a soccer tournament to show his appreciation for how CHAC changed his life.
“He said, ‘I wouldn’t have gone through middle school without CHAC,’” Kane said. “It somehow turned him around, and he continued his education. Through support from CHAC, he gained the resiliency to do well.”
CHAC provides its services at little or no cost for those with modest incomes. Most of its budget, just more than $1.9 million last year, comes from donors.
“The nice thing about the organization is that the money really goes into services and not to high salaries at the top,” Kane said. “It really supports the program.”
The staff - including 22 full-time employees, 21 part-timers and 60 interns - served 2,587 people last year, according to Kane, and logged 28,704 service hours.
“We have a staff from heaven and a very good board,” Kane said.
CHAC is located at 711 Church St., Mountain View. For more information, call 965-2020 or visit www.chacmv.org.
The Community Foundation Silicon Valley serves as the fiscal agent for the Town Crier Holiday Fund. It provides the tax-deductible status for the fund, and each contribution qualifies as a 501(c)(3) gift. A group of donors has pledged challenge grants to match community donations.
To donate to the fund, make checks payable to the Town Crier Holiday Fund and send to 138 Main St., Los Altos 94022. Credit card contributions can be handled by phone. Call Leverne at 948-9000.
