Dental Care Network helps give those suffering from rare diseases a reason to smile
April 09 Press Release
‘Dental Care Network helps give those suffering from rare diseases a reason to smile’
Families with children suffering from a rare disease receive much needed funds thanks to Dental Care Network and the SMILE Foundation. Australia’s premier dental services organisation Dental Care Network raised over $30,000 at their annual conference on 28th February 2009 to support the SMILE Foundation and to recognise International Rare Disease day.
International Rare Disease Day which was celebrated for the first time in Australia aims to draw attention to the need for a better quality of life for those living with rare diseases and the importance of medical research to develop new treatment, providing hope for those recently diagnosed with a rare disease. Around 1.5 million Australians suffer from rare diseases, which is similar to the number with diabetes, however in comparison funding levels are significantly less. The SMILE (Supporting Medical Innovation for Life Enhancement) Foundation was launched in July 2007 to fill this gap by providing assistance to Australian families with children suffering a rare disease and provide much needed funding into Australian medical research.
Through its Family Relief Program, families around the country are provided with $1,000 grants to meet medical expenses and other costs associated with the challenge of raising a child with a rare disease. The SMILE Foundation have assisted 40 families in the past 6 months. SMILE Foundation also provides grants to outstanding Australian medical research which has difficulty gaining funding through the usual sources. Since inception SMILE has funded three medical research projects. Karen Gair, Chief Executive Officer of the SMILE Foundation said, “For Dental Care Network to raise over $30,000 in one evening is an incredible achievement. This now provides us with the funds to help over 30 families who will directly benefit from the efforts and generosity of the Dental Care Network team. SMILE has very low administration costs so the majority of funds are going directly to families in need.”
Dental Care Network was established also in July 2007, to provide the public with access to high quality dental services across Australia by searching on ww.dentalcarenetwork.com.au or calling 1300 DC NETWORK. Dental Care Network practices are located throughout Australia in both city and rural regions across NSW, VIC, QLD, ACT, SA and WA. Dr Ray Khouri, Director of Dental Care Network said “There are many similarities between Dental Care Network and the Smile Foundation which initially attracted us to explore how we may be able to support SMILE’s valuable work. We are both newly established companies in the healthcare industry providing services to improve well being and enhancing quality of life. Most importantly we are both in the business of giving people a reason to smile!
We saw this as an opportunity to forge a strong partnership and we are working with SMILE to provide ongoing support. Our experience with SMILE has been very rewarding and we would encourage anyone interested in being involved with a unique charity to explore the SMILE Foundation. SMILE = Goodwill + Good Science + Good Business.” Global SMILE Ambassador, Elle Macpherson said “Our greatest desire as parents is that our children grow up to embody the finest of all human qualities and mostly, we want them to be healthy. Parents of children with rare diseases want the same things. But without the necessary research to find cures, they are forced to confront the extreme challenges of caring for their children, unsupported. The SMILE Foundation recognises the vital role of medical research in extending and improving the lives of these children and their families.” SMILE needs donations and community support to continue to provide hope and a voice for people with rare diseases.
To find out more please visit www.smilefoundation.com.au to donate or call on (02) 8986 5395. To learn more about the high quality services provided by Dental Care Network please visit www.dentalcarenetwork.com.au