By Dr. Jacqueline Butler Mitchell
NASHVILLE, TN — Dr. Jacqueline Butler Mitchell of Integrity Dental Care wanted to step up the game this year in her 2019 Backpack Program. This is the 4th year for this community incentive of providing backpacks to needy families. Dr. Mitchell stated that she understand times have become more and more difficult for most families and especially those with kids. Her office is located at Harding Place and Nolensville Road, a venue where there is a diverse population of people. This area is a melting pot with limited resources, and as a business owner, I feel is my duty to give back to the community I serve said Dr. Mitchell.
Some students attending school literally do not have any school supplies to do their school work. A vast majority of the parents do not have the funds to buy school supplies for their children. Can you imagine the anxiety and embarrassment of sitting in class with no school supplies to do your work?
Can you imagine the stress that puts on parents? Parents feel bad when their children are constantly ridiculed, making it extremely difficult for children to concentrate on their studies. We take for granted that children have the necessary school supplies they need, but in a lot of cases they have absolutely nothing, and the teachers go into their own pockets to fill in the gap. I can remember as a child how my parents who were teachers struggled , and I didn’t have school supplies I needed when school started. My parents didn’t get paid until the end of the month, and school usually started at the beginning of the month. This set me behind from the very beginning of school. I remember asking my school principal to help me with school supplies, and fortunately for me, he assisted me to get started. I was so grateful that it worked out in my favor, however some won’t be as blessed as I was. This is something that is close and personal for me, for I have been down that path before. Also, let us not forget some of these parents patronize our businesses, which in turn help keep us in business. We have to do our due diligence and give back to those who are less fortunate than us.
My goal has been for this program to ease the financial burden on as many families as I can. This year I wanted to step up the game, so I included dental screenings and cleanings along with the free 300 backpacks. I wanted to enhance, inform , and educate the parents as well as the children on proper dental care.
Each year I will be looking for more innovative ways to increase the number of backpacks and services I can provide. My goal for the following year is to double what we done this year. We will attempt to do 600 backpacks in 2020 next year. This will make us work harder as well as provide assistance to twice as many families. I have been Blessed and I am Thankful for all of the continued Blessings. We cant just talk about it, we have to be about it. We can Make a Difference!!
If you would like to assist us in our endeavor by being a sponsor, please call our office to be a part of this great event.
