University Parkway dentists freshen smiles

You know the drill for health

University Parkway Dental worked to brighten smiles in the East County area.

Dr. Janielle Silliman (above) joined with Dr. Long Pham to provide free dental services to uninsured patients in the community Nov. 17, which was Free Dentistry Day.

“Dental health is a vital part of a person’s overall health,” said Silliman, who noted they saw 41 patients. “Through this event, we hoped to educate patients on the importance of dental health.”

Kid-sized food drive a winner

Nineteen kindergarten students at the Primrose School, including Ava Grady (above), completed their Caring and Giving Food Drive on Nov. 15 by going to Publix and using the money they collected doing chores at home to buy canned and nonperishable food items.

The $322 they raised was donated to the Mayors Feed the Hungry program of Manatee and Sarasota counties. Primrose School has participated since 2005.

Kindergarten teacher Leigh Thomsen led the group with fellow teacher Susan Artemik. “There were calculators and pencils, and we taught the kids about buy one, get one free,” Thomsen said.