Foster children in urgent need of orthodontic care

On January 8, a metro Detroit foster children's charity put out a call for volunteer orthodontists to work with area children and teens in foster care, citing an "urgent" backlogged need. "As of today, we have nine requests for orthodontic care in our area--and one of the children has been waiting more than a year for services," said Lorraine Weber, the executive director of For The Seventh Generation (www.fortheseventhgeneration.org). "In addition, we always have an ongoing need for orthodontists to provide these services." Weber stressed that each volunteer orthodontist is asked to provide services to just one foster child or teen for one year. "But in that year," Weber added, "the professionals who come forward literally change the lives of the child or teen they work with--a change that lasts throughout that young person's life." As evidence, Weber cited the case of Jasmine Charlton, who first came to the agency during its founding by the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Foundation in 2005. Thanks to the volunteer efforts of Dr. Maria Pinzon, "Jasmine, who was just twelve at the time, found an inner sense of confidence she'd never had before--and now, she's a college graduate who plans to go on to law school." Making it possible for a child to smile without embarrassment--perhaps for the first time in that child's life--makes a huge difference, particularly in the case of young people who have already faced the kinds of hardship that leads to being placed in our foster care system. While Michigan's Department of Human Services provides very basic dental services through Medicaid, children in foster care who need more extensive dental services like braces have few options, according to Weber. "Finding orthodontic care for 'our' kids is one of the larger challenges we face as an organization." For The Seventh Generation (FTSG) was founded and is supported by the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Foundation in cooperation with the 3rd Judicial Circuit of Michigan and the Michigan Department of Human Services. The organization matches donations of goods and services with metro Detroit-area foster children, foster families, and young adults aging out of the foster care system. FTSG served more than 500 children through its various programs in 2013. For additional information, including on how to volunteer to provide services or to make a donation, visit the organization's website at: www.fortheseventhgeneration.org or its Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/fortheseventhgeneration. Published: Fri, Jan 10, 2014