Upcoming Zooka! Events
Collections for the Food Bank
Months of November and December
Children’s Dental Health Month
Month of February
Polar Plunge Oregon 2010
February 26, 2010
Zooka! Supports Saving Grace
On Saturday July 18th,Dr. Rex Gibson (alias Captain Rex) and the staff at Zooka! Super Toothcare For Kids participated in the 2009 Saving Grace Children’s Festival in Drake Park.
For 21 years Saving Grace (formerly COBRA) has brought families together for the Children’s Festival in Drake Park. This event raises funds for Saving Grace domestic violence and sexual assault services, including the confidential shelter in Bend, and children’s programs.
An estimated crowd of 2,500-3,000 people, including children and adults enjoyed a day of healthy family activity including face painting, stuffed animal fishing, bean bag toss, steer roping, and bowling. The children also enjoyed entertainment from acts on the local stage while they munched on lunch from local vendors.
This year the festival strived to put the spotlight on what it means to be a healthy community, and how to live life without violence.
A GREAT DAY WAS HAD BY ALL!!!!!!!!!!!
April- 2009
Zooka! Employee in MDA LOCK-UP
There was a warrant issued for having a BIG HEART! to Lynette Campbell, Marketing Manager of Zooka! Super Toothcare For Kids on Thursday, April 16th. She was picked up and taken to the Deschutes Brewery Mountain Room, where she, among many other captives, volunteered their time to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The Bend volunteers raised $60,000 this year.
The MDA is a national voluntary health agency working to defeat muscular dystrophy and related diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education.
MDA is funded almost entirely by private contributions. MDA seeks no fees from those it serves.
MDA dedicates 78.4 cents of every dollar it spends directly to research, services and education.
$.85 – Funds one minute of research
$100- Supports a group session
$800- sends 1 child to MDA summer camp
$2000- Assist with a wheelchair or leg braces
Zooka! Releases DEX Coupons
In Zooka’s mission to reach out and help the children of Central Oregon, Dr. Rex Gibson has released a series of coupons in the new DEX Directory! This is a first for these types of coupons, yet they are a result of a thoughtful program intended to lighten the financial burden for parents seeking quality dental care for their children. Armed with these new coupons in Zooka’s fight against tooth decay, Captain Rex is continuing to do battle with the alarming statistics released by the Oregon Department of Human Services as a result of their Smile Survey of 2007. Some of the statistics cited are…..
- On any given day in Oregon, more than 5,000 children are in school and suffering from dental pain and infection!
- Every day, nearly 1 in 20 school children need urgent care due to pain or infection!
- Compared to 5 years ago, the proportion of school children with untreated decay increased by 49%! The causes: more frequent snacking and teens drinking more soda and sugar.
- 99.9% of cavities are preventable!
- More than 1 in 3 children in Oregon need treatment for tooth decay. At the time of the survey, an estimated 27% had not seen a dentist in the previous year!
- Nearly 2 out of 3 children in 1st thru 3rd grade in Oregon already have had a cavity. More than half of those children have untreated decay!
Check out our COUPONS in the new
DEX YELLOW PAGES!!!
February- 2009
Zooka! Doubles up on Smiles in the Classroom
National Children’s Dental Health Month turned 60 this year. Each February, since 1949, the American Dental Association has sponsored National Children’s Dental Health Month to raise the awareness about the importance of oral health for children. During February, Dr. Rex Gibson and his staff visited the daycares and preschools in Bend and educated over 700 children. This is over double the amount of children that were educated by Team Zooka! in 2008!
Dental decay remains a significant public health problem among Oregon’s children. Nearly two out of three children in first, second and third grade in Oregon already have had a cavity. More than half of those children have untreated decay.
Developing good habits at an early age and scheduling regular dental visits helps children get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums. No costs were involved for the schools in having Zooka! and its staff of Super Heroes to help educate the children of Central Oregon. It was just another way that Zooka! could help the community.
Smile Survey Fast Facts
(Oregon Department of Human Services)
(Survey taken November, 2007)
More than 1 in 3 children in Oregon need treatment for tooth decay. At the time of the survey, an estimated 27% had not seen a dentist in the previous year.
99.9% of cavities are preventable.
Compared to 5 years ago, the proportion of school children with untreated decay increased by 49%. (the causes: more frequent snacking and teens drinking more soda and sugar)
Every day, nearly 1 in 20 school children need urgent care due to pain or infection.
On any given day in Oregon, more than 5,000 children are in school and suffering from dental pain or infection.
Zooka! Takes the Plunge
Once again, Zooka! Super Toothcare For Kids joined the thousands of chilled souls across the country in 15 states, to participate in what has proven to be one of the most successful fund raisers for the Special Olympics, The Polar Plunge.
Dr. Rex Gibson and nine members of his staff participated in the Deschutes Polar Plunge on February 27th in Bend, Oregon. This event is a unique opportunity for the office to support Special Olympics Oregon athletes by jumping, walking, or slowly crawling into the frigid and icy Oregon waters. Team Zooka! raised close to $1000 for the right to take the wintry dip in the river.
November 12, 2008
ZOOKA! DENTAL PROMOTION TAKES FRIGHT OUT OF HALLOWEEN CANDY
Oregon Dental Practice Receives Over 700 Lbs. of Candy To Send to Soldiers
(Bend, Oregon) Halloween offers a particular challenge for dental practices, who deal with the cavities caused by too much sugar in the months, even years, after the holiday. After years of frustration, Dentist Rex Gibson of Zooka! Super Toothcare for Kids, decided to do something about it. His response, a promotion that offered to pay children $2 per pound of Halloween candy they turned in, with the entire allotment shipping to soldiers, was a huge hit in this Oregon community.
“We know that candy is a big part of many holidays,” says Gibson, “but Halloween trumps them all. We certainly advocate letting kids have some fun with the holiday, but they don’t need bags and bags of candy.”
Staff at Zooka!, a popular pediatric practice in Bend, Oregon, brainstormed solutions and launched the “Halloween Candy Buy Back” promotion via regional radio ads, print ads, newsletters, emails to local schools and partnerships with like-minded businesses. The efforts paid off with an overwhelming response. Zooka! received over 700 pounds of candy, contributed by children and families who loved the idea of giving back – literally.
“I let my son have his fair share, then took all the excess candy to Zooka!,” said Laurel Burton, mother of a seven-year-old Central Oregon trick or treater. “Not only was I glad to get rid of it, I loved that Zooka was generous enough to actually send it all to our troops overseas!”
A 2007 online survey conducted by KidsHealth.org reports that over 40 percent of kids say they receive more than 100 pieces of candy on Halloween – and 50 percent say that their parents do not set any limits on the amount of candy they can eat.
According to Gibson, Halloween also offered an opportunity for parents who participated in the Halloween Candy Buy Back to talk to their kids about how to take care of their teeth. Zooka! staff encourages kids to floss and brush after eating candy.
Zooka! Supertooth Care for Kids is a unique, leading pediatric dental practice in Central Oregon. For more information, contact Lynette Campbell at (541) 318-5658 or check out www.zookadental.com.