Humanitarian Efforts

The Associates for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery have helped victims of several disasters over the years.  Events such as September 11th 2001, The Indian Ocean Tsunami, and Hurricane Katrina have set AOMS into action.  For each of these events the doctors and staff at AOMS have donated their personal time to open the practice during a Saturday and all proceeds for each day along with staff wages were donated to assist victims and their families.  For AOMS's September 11th relief efforts, proceeds were donated to Rescue 5 Firefighters in New York and for the Indian Ocean Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, proceeds went to the Northwest Medical Teams for distribution. 

http://nwti.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=who_faq_general

November 11, 2001 Grants Pass Daily Courier

By TIMOTHY BULLARD  

Reprint Courtesy of Daily Courier

You could call it pulling teeth for a good cause.  But that’s exactly what the employees and surgeons at Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery did recently when, by donating their professional fees and wages for a day at work, they raised more than $40,000 for victims of the Sept. 11 attack in New York City.

“It was one of the young gals who started the idea, which generated a whole spirit,” said employee Gail Pickle.  “All the rest of us agreed that it was a good idea.

So they set Oct. 27 as the special fund-raising day at the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery offices in Grants Pass, Medford and Ashland. 

In all, some 60 employees, including surgeons James Savage, Rajiv Rajagopal, Bruce Logan and Joel Slaughter, donated their time to the cause.  The funds will be “directed to disaster relief for spouses, and dependents of the dead, disabled or missing firefighters from Rescue 5 Engine 160 and other firefighters stationed or residing in Staten Island, New York,” according to information provided by the clinic.  “We worked for free and had a wonderful day,” Pickle said.  Rajagopal’s wife, Sharon, pitched in as well, making her “famous chimichangas for everyone for lunch,” Pickle added.          

The three dental clinics aren’t normally open on Saturdays, Pickle said.  But patients were told of the special event and given the option to take part.  In all, some 56 patients were seen at the three clinics.  “The patients all seemed happy about it, or at least as happy as you can be when you’re getting your teeth extracted,” Pickle said.

August 25, 2005

By JONEL ALECCIA
Reprint Courtesy of the Mail Tribune

Despite the chaos of construction, St. Vincent de Paul organizers are determined to host an annual school supply drive that prepares hundreds of low-income kids for class.

"This year, we’re going to be kind of crunched," said Bill Schueller, the former agency director heading the 14th annual drive.

In previous years, more than 1,500 children and their families have crowded the St. Anthony homeless shelter in late August, loading up on pre-packed backpacks, pencils and notebook paper. But the shelter was recently torn down, part of a $2.7 million renovation project that eventually will build a new shelter and other amenities.

So this year, more than 30 volunteers will pack bags as families arrive for the drive, planned for Monday to Sept. 2. Families can bring proof of income from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the agency site, 2424 N. Pacific Highway, Medford.

"During last year’s drive, we served 845 children on Monday alone," Schueller said.

Kids come away with paper and pens, calculators and crayons, most provided at a 30 percent discount from Bi-Mart Corp., based in Eugene. Schueller believes having the right supplies can make a difference in a child’s success in school.

Nationwide, parents expect to spend nearly $2.5 billion on school supplies such as notebooks, folders, pencils, backpacks and lunchboxes, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey. In the West, that amounts to an average of $84.02 per family.

For those struggling to make ends meet, especially families with many children, paying for school supplies is all but impossible.

The St. Vincent de Paul drive was started in 1991 by Dolores Harmon and her daughter, Lori Harmon. Since then, other community efforts have begun to help prepare children for school.

A school supply drive sponsored by the Mail Tribune and several other professional groups is expected to provide more than $3,000 worth of goods to every local district, said organizer Ginnie Deason.

Donations of pencils, scissors, backpacks, highlighters, tissue, notebooks, 2-inch binders, markers, glue and glue sticks can be dropped off at several area sites. Deadline is Sept. 12.

Already, contributions are pouring in, Deason said.

"It’s much better than last year, but at the same time, it’s just a drop in the bucket when you consider the need," she said.

Other sponsors include the Ashland Daily Tidings, the Nickel, Umpqua Bank, members of the Jackson County Bar Association, Ramsey & Rote, People’s Bank of Commerce, Associates for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and the Ashland law firm of Davis, Hearn, Saladoff & Smith.

Donations can be delivered to the following sites:

·  St. Vincent de Paul, 2424 N. Pacific Highway, Medford. Call 772-3828.

·  The Mail Tribune, 111 N. Fir St., Medford. Call 776-4441.

·  The Daily Tidings, 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland.

·  The Nickel, 832 Crater Lake Ave., Medford

Collections will be distributed to local schools for disbursement to kids in need. Contact your child’s school for more information.

Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail jaleccia@mailtribune.com.

Associates for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery has been a sponsor for the Providence Festival of Trees for over a decade.