SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, June 24, 2014 —Heraeus Kulzer, LLC, the worldwide leader in dental esthetics, announced today that its Venus White Brand will extend its role as the official Whitening Challenge Fundraising partner of Give Back a Smile (GBAS) for another two years. The announcement was made at the recent annual meeting of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD), which was attended by over 1,200 dental professionals in Orlando, Florida.
GBASwas founded by the AACD’s Charitable Foundation in 1999to restore the damaged smiles of adult survivors of intimate partner violence. During the past 15 years, AACD dentists, laboratory technicians and other dental professionals have volunteered their time and expertise on a pro bono basis to restore the smiles of more than 1,400 domestic abuse survivors for a total dollar value of almost $14 million in services provided. There are currently approximately 250 GBAS applicants who are being treated throughout the United States and Canada.
The GBAS Whitening Challenge Fundraising event is one of the top revenue generators for the AACD Charitable Foundation. Venus White became the Whitening Fundraising Partner in 2012; in the two years since then, the event has generated nearly $70,000 for GBAS and made it possible to restore the smiles to more than 300 survivors of intimate partner violence.
The funds raised specifically support survivors of intimate partner violence by assisting GBAS patients with the cost of travel to and from their dental appointments as well as the costs of dental laboratory materials. These funds also finance scholarships for eligible GBAS program recipients who are pursuing higher education, and it supports initiatives to increase awareness and administration of the program. Heraeus Kulzer donates Venus White teeth whitening materials to participating dental practices that pledge to donate proceeds directly to GBAS when they perform whitening treatments for their patients.
“We are very proud to be sponsoring this crucial cause for the third straight year,” said Christopher Holden, president of Heraeus Kulzer North America. “We salute the impressive talents and generosity of the AACD dentists, laboratory technicians and everyone else involved with this wonderful program, and we are honored to have our Venus White teeth whitening line help to restore the smiles to hundreds of very deserving people.”
