By Adam Frisk Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
After nearly 15 years of helping Haliburton County residents access affordable dental care, Volunteer Dental Outreach (VDO) is winding down as an independent charity and putting $210,000 toward a new memorial fund.
Last Thursday (Sept. 24) at SIRCH Community Services, organizers announced the creation of the Lisa Kerr Memorial Fund, which will carry on VDO’s work while responding to the area’s changing dental needs.
The two organizations came together in 2010, when Jim Blake, with the Haliburton County Development Corporation, dropped by SIRCH to pitch an idea to founding executive director Gena Robertson: what if SIRCH helped get a free dental program off the ground?
Working with founder Bill Kerr, his wife Lisa, and Janis Parker, SIRCH took VDO under its wing. They handled the early intake setup and administrative policies so the group could get up and running.
VDO opened in May 2011 and officially branched off as its own registered charity a year later.
Dozens of area dentists, hygienists, board members and donors stepped up to support the initiative and delivered more than $4.7 million in free dental care to more than 1,300 Haliburton County residents.
“The Volunteer Dental Outreach of Haliburton County was a dream I had over 17 years ago, and I shared it with my late wife, Lisa Kerr,” Bill said during a presentation. “When I knew she wanted to help me build it, that is when I knew it was possible. What I didn’t realize was how big and wonderful it was going to be.”
With the federal government introducing the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP), the landscape changed for VDO. While the federal plan now covers basic work for eligible residents, many still face out-of-pocket costs for treatment.
“The Canadian Dental Care Plan represents important progress, but coverage alone does not remove every barrier,” said Gena Robertson, SIRCH Community Services. “The Lisa Kerr Memorial Fund will help bridge the remaining gap so eligible residents can move from having dental coverage to actually receiving the care they need. There is something especially meaningful about this work returning to SIRCH, where Volunteer Dental Outreach’s story first began.”
The memorial fund will be managed through SIRCH and the team plans to work directly with dental offices to identify patients who have basic government coverage but still need help paying for the rest of their care.
Anyone looking to support the fund can donate online through the SIRCH.
