ADA, Elmo visit schoolchildren

In honor of the Association’s 150th anniversary, the ADA visited local schools in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Gaithersburg, Md., in February and March to teach children about the importance of oral health.

Each year, ADA staff raises money for a worthwhile, local dental-related charity during the year-end holidays. This year, the theme was changed to coincide with the sesquicentennial anniversary. The proceeds from that fundraiser were then matched by a grant from the ADA Foundation and used to purchase 3,000 Sesame Street oral care storybooks, “Ready, Set, Brush!”

Staff volunteers read from these pop-up books—which use popular characters Elmo and Cookie Monster—to help teach proper brushing skills. The volunteers also passed out toothbrushes and floss donated by Sunstar Americas Inc.

“The members of the committee really wanted to give back to the hometowns where ADA offices are located, lessons to help children enjoy a lifetime of good oral health,” explained John Fernandez, one of the ADA staff coordinators for the fundraiser.

“Ready, Set, Brush!” is the result of a collaborative effort between the Association, Reader’s Digest Children’s Books and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street. It was designed to teach parents and children good oral health habits to help kick-start a lifetime of good oral health. The ADA distributed the books to children attending elementary schools in underserved communities on the South and West sides of Chicago as well as libraries, and underserved children living near the Paffenbarger Research Center in Gaithersburg and the ADA Washington, D.C., office.

To order a copy of “Ready, Set, Brush!”, Item No. W-575, visit www.adacatalog.com or call 1-800-947-4746.