photo by: Contributed/Chloe Cook
The Lawrence Veterans Day Parade Association board members presented a $15,000 donation to the Heartland Community Health Center that will help veterans without dental insurance receive oral health care. From left to right: Bob Longino; Steve Rapp; Chad Govier; Julie Branstrom, CEO of Heartland Community Health Center; State Sen. Marci Francisco of Lawrence and Mike Kelly.
Heartland Community Health Center received a $15,000 donation from the Lawrence Veterans Day Parade Association to help provide care for veterans in need.
The veterans group announced in a press release Tuesday it had raised a record of $7,500 in donations from local Lawrence businesses and citizens, and an anonymous donor matched those donations to bring the total gift to Heartland to $15,000.
Michael Kelly, the chairman of the association and a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, said in the release the generosity of the donations from Lawrence residents “match(ed) the selfless and honorable service of our military veterans.”
Kelly said the donation will support dental care services for veterans who don’t have dental insurance through the VA. The association previously told the Journal-World its donations to Heartland previously helped fund “nearly a hundred treatments.”
The association presented the donation to Heartland on Monday. Julie Branstrom, the CEO of the Heartland Community Health Center, said she was grateful for the ongoing partnership with the parade association, and the group’s fundraising helps ensure veterans in our community have access to dental care.
Branstrom noted that poor oral health can be linked to a variety of health issues, including diabetes and respiratory problems, and dental care can be “out of reach” for people without private dental insurance. The $15,000 donation “will go a long way toward ensuring many veterans in our community can access the dental care services they need.”
photo by: Contributed/Chloe Cook
Members of the Lawrence Veterans Day Parade Association presented a $15,000 donation to Heartland Community Health Center on Monday that will go to support dental care for veterans without dental insurance. From left to right: Chad Govier; Julie Branstrom, CEO of Heartland Community Health Center; State Sen. Marci Francisco of Lawrence and Mike Kelly.
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