At the April 2007 Board of Directors meeting of the Capital Area Dental Society, a motion was made for CADS to be the sponsoring organization of the Capital Area Dental Foundation.

 

The Foundation has met regularly and much progress has been made. While final 501(c)(3) designation should be forthcoming any day, committees are in place and active.

The committees are:

 

Each of these committees have or are in the process of developing strategic plans and are already moving forward in the community. A brochure is being developed, contacts have been identified and actively pursued for grants, the target areas for those we will serve initially are being identified through research with other organizations serving the underprivileged. 

 

One of the vital areas of our mission is to educate the public about better dental health. We all know that prevention is key to better dental health and a renewed effort needs to be made to make progress in this area. The Capital Area Dental Foundation intends to make this a priority.

 

We in the Austin Dental Community are blessed with many dentists that have assumed leadership positions within the profession as well as within the community. This dedication by these individuals is a hallmark of professionalism. For the most part, these leaders have learned their skills “on the fly” and have had little or no formal training. CADF has developed a Leadership Training Program that we hope to implement the next calendar year. The curriculum includes ethics, public speaking, professional responsibility, motivation and volunteerism, public relations, strategic planning, and parliamentary procedure.

 

The Leadership Program will target new CADS members and will make them better leaders that will greatly enhance their professional, public, and personal lives. Even though the target group is the new CADS member, it is not exclusive to others. This is a tremendous opportunity. If you are interested in participating in the Leadership Program or you are interested in serving on any committee above, please call Dr. Kelp at 306-0115.

 

Remember, the Capital Area Dental Foundation is sponsored and supported by the Capital Area Dental Society. It is not intended to replace any of the great and productive programs in place that are the envy of other dental societies. The Foundation is a vehicle that will allow us to do much more for our profession as well as those we serve. We are not in competition with other Foundations and organizations that support dentistry and provide dental care, but intend to collaborate with these entities for the betterment of our profession and the community.