My husband, Dan (you may know him as Dr. Martin) and I moved to Truckee in 2010 because of the incredible natural beauty of the mountains, our love of exploring slopes, trails, rivers and lakes, and our desire to raise our two children in a small tight-knit community of other outdoor lovers. Every day we feel so grateful to live and work here – and as community members we actively seek out ways that we can give back to this area and community that has given us so much.
1% for the Planet Membership:
From our very first business day, Tahoe Oral Surgery and Implant Center has been a member of 1% for the Planet (look them up!) Being a member means we are committed to donating 1% of our annual revenue to nonprofit organizations doing work in the environmental field. As of this year, we have donated over $105,000 to local, state and national nonprofits doing important work in environmental preservation, conservation, and education. Check out our website for a full list of the organizations we support.
We Care About Community Oral Health:
Access to necessary dental care can be difficult for those in our community who are uninsured or underinsured. To help fill that need, we participate annually in Dentistry From the Heart, a day of FREE dental care. Our staff and surgeons donate their time to this important day – and additionally, in 2016 we provided over $13,500 of free oral surgery care.
Brightening Holidays:
Have you ever wondered what we do with all the teeth we extract? Well, first, we always ask our patients if they want their teeth back. Some do (to keep as nifty keepsakes) but most patients are happy to be done with them! We collect ALL those extracted teeth and we send them into a company that removes the precious metals from the teeth – and then they send us a check. This year, a pretty hefty one: $2150! We feel strongly that this money belongs to the community (seeing as it came from the smiles of hundreds of community members!), so each year we use that money to sponsor local families in need at Christmas time. This year we partners with Tahoe Safe Alliance and South Lake Tahoe Family Resource Center to connect with local families in need of a brighter Christmas.
There are other ways we give back as a local business: we sponsor Music in the Park, the 4th of July Parade, Truckee High School Baseball and Football and Sober Graduation. I list these things, not to toot our own horn but rather to inspire and encourage you (and your business) to get involved, to give back, to contribute in whatever way you can to making our community stronger and healthier.
Written by: Sonja Martin