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We Care Dental Network Receives Award from The Blue Foundation

By Karen Wendland

At a luncheon meeting in Orlando on December 4, 2009, The Blue Foundation awarded our We Care Dental Network an "Honorable Mention" award that carried with it a $25,000 cash award. This is a tremendous tribute to our local dentists who have taken their program and over the past year developed it into an award-winning program. This award recognizes the We Care Dental Network as among the state's best nonprofits addressing access to healthcare.

This is the second year in a row, The Blue Foundation has given an award to our We Care Network, which is indeed an honor.

Dr. Walt Colón, Chair of our Dental Advisory Committee and Ashley Crowley, our Dental Program Coordinator were there to accept the award on behalf of the CMS Foundation. Both Mrs. Crowley and Dr. Colón made excellent comments, when accepting the award for us. I was also in attendance, along with Rosemary Evans, Program Coordinator, Shannon Dent, CMS Marketing Assistant and Dr. Ed Zapert, Dental Director for the Leon County Health Department.

These comments, video from the awards luncheon and a custom made video about the We Care Dental Network are available at The Blue Foundation website. Go to: http://www.bcbsfl.com.

The Blue Foundation sent out a press release to run in the Tallahassee media.

We need to thank Ashley Crowley, who joined the We Care staff in October 2008. Her first year on the job was monumental, working with local dentists to strengthen their charitable program with more aggressive recruiting and retention strategies. I know the Leon County Dental Association has developed a tremendous amount of respect for Ashley for her ability to organize them and their efforts to develop their program. She has done a great job!

Dr. Jay Walton and Dr. Walt Colón wrote beautiful nominations for the Sapphire Award from the dentists’ perspective. Dr. Ken Brummel-Smith wrote a beautiful nomination from the perspective of physicians who refer to the We Care Dental Network. All three nominations focused on the impressive collaboration that is going on between the dentist and physicians communities here in Tallahassee. The Selection Committee for the Sapphire Award must have been impressed too!

Thank you to Dr. Colón, Dr. Walton and Dr. Brummel-Smith for writing the nominations. Dr. Walton is past president of the Florida Dental Health Foundation and serves on our CMS Foundation Board of Directors. Dr. Colón chairs our Dental Advisory Committee, one of the committees of the CMS Foundation. Dr. Brummel-Smith is a long-time member of our Access to Care Committee and has a keen eye on the local access to care issues.

But most of all we need to salute the dentists who volunteer in the We Care Dental Network. Since its inception, the dental network has grown from its original 13 volunteer dentists to 52 volunteer dentists, representing half of the dentists in practice in Tallahassee and the surrounding area. The dentists represent all the sub-specialties of dental care. The We Care Dental Network has provided $525,122 in donated dental care. We also need to thank Dr. Eric Amundson at Affordable Dentures and Dr. William McFatter at Beachton Denture Clinic who donate dentures to the program.

We want to give special thanks and recognition to the Dental Advisory Committee and the Executive Committee of the Leon County Dental Association. Without their support and leadership, the award and the on-going success of the We Care Dental Network would not be possible.

Thank you to the CMS Foundation Board Members, for their support and confidence in your staff, that we could pull this off and make you proud!

Congratulations to all of us!

Dental Advisory Committee

Walt Colón, D.M.D., Chair
Darrh Bryant, D.M.D.
E. Lynn McLarty, D.D.S.
Jim McSoley, D.M.D.
Lawrence Pijut, D.M.D.
James Sykes, D.M.D.
Susan Byrne, D.M.D.
Frank Swerdzewski, D.D.S.
James Walton, D.D.S.
Lawrence Weaver, D.D.S.
Ed Zapert, D.M.D.
Avon Doll, M.D.
Charles Mathews, M.D.

Executive Committee Leon County Dental Association

Joe Barnett, D.D.S., President
Jim McSoley, D.M.D., Vice-president
Susan Byrne, D.M.D., Treasurer
Tyler Baldock, D.D.S., MS, Member-at-large

Thank you to the Dentists who volunteer in the We Care Dental Network:

Eric Amundson, D.D.S.
Steven Aspros, D.M.D.
William Baldock, D.D.S.
Joseph Barnett, D.M.D.
Mark Barrera, D.D.S.
Robert H. Barr, D.M.D.
Richard Bastian, D.D.S.
Glen Beck, D.M.D.
Marci Beck, D.M.D.
John Bidwell, D.D.S.
Steven Bryan, D.M.D.
Darrh Bryant, D.M.D.
Heather Burch, D.D.S.
Susan Byrne, D.M.D.
Kenneth Carey, D.D.S.
Francis Chip Chaney, D.D.S.
Richard Chichetti, D.M.D.
Walter Colón, D.M.D.
Marion Cooper, D.M.D.
Jim Davis, D.M.D.
John Dozier, D.M.D.
Douglas Evans, D.M.D.
Michael Hartley, D.M.D.
Jeff Jones, D.M.D.
Katherine Kotz, D.D.S.
Douglas Loveless, D.D.S.
Susanne Lumpp, D.M.D.
Ashok Manocha, D.D.S.
Viraj Manocha, D.M.D.
William McFatter, D.D.S.
James McGee, D.M.D.
Edwin McLarty, D.D.S.
Gary McManama, D.D.S.
Mark McQuary, D.D.S.
Jim McSoley, D.M.D.
Ralph Montalvo, D.M.D.
Robert Murrell, D.M.D.
Lawrence Pijut, D.M.D.
Russell Rainey, D.M.D.
William Shaner, D.D.S.
Stanley Sheppard, D.D.S.
Steve Silvers, D.M.D.
Frank Swerdzewski, D.D.S.
Bennie Thompkins, D.M.D.
Neil Torgerson, D.M.D.
Leonard Tolley, D.D.S
Quill Turk, D.D.S.
Neal Waldman, D.D.S.
James Walton, D.D.S.
Lawrence Weaver, D.D.S.
Eve James-Wilson D.M.D.
Ed Zapert, D.M.D.

These are the comments Ashley Crowley, Dental Program Coordinator, made at the Sapphire Awards luncheon when she accepted the award on behalf of the We Care Dental Network:

First, I would like to thank The Blue Foundation for hosting such a wonderful event that recognizes the positive impact we are all having on Florida’s at risk populations. Our program has really evolved in the past year and we could not have done that without the leadership and guidance of our Executive Director, Karen Wendland and the CMS Foundation Board of Directors. My colleagues at the We Care Network have been great! They provided the much needed support and flexibility as we have grown. Most importantly, I would like to thank our volunteer dentists, especially Dr. Walter Colón, Dr. Ed Zapert, and those dentists who serve on the Dental Advisory Committee. They give so much of their time, as do all of our volunteers. Our program could not exist without them. This award really validates how far we have come as a program. I am so proud to be a part of the We Care Dental Network. Thank you again.

Read the Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida News Release

Record-Breaking Attendance at the CMS Foundation’s Holiday Auction!

By Shannon Dent, CMS Marketing Assistant & Karen Wendland, Executive Director

Despite tough economic times, we had record-breaking attendance and an impressive net profit at our annual Holiday Auction this year. The Capital City Country Club was filled, with 274 people in attendance. It was a festive event, complete with food, drinks, guest appearances, silent auction items and the always-unforgettable auctioneers for the live auction! This compares to 262 people last year. We raised over $42,500. This compares to last year at $43,287.

Thanks to all of you who so generously donate to the Auction, one way or another. Our Holiday Auction continues to be a terrific fundraiser and a lot of fun!

We had 31 Corporate Sponsors this year. Their sponsorships help underwrite the actual cost of the event. Therefore, every item that is sold on the Live Auction and on the Silent Auction goes straight to the charitable work done by physicians and dentists through the CMS Foundation. We really appreciate our sponsors. Special thanks to Tallahassee State Bank who has been our Presenting Sponsor for eight years. We had 35 Individual Sponsors this year.

Our Silent Auction continues to be excellent, thanks in great part to our Alliance Committee. The Silent Auction allows us to offer a wide price range and lets people shop (or stalk!) the items. This year, we had an astounding 195 Silent Auction items this year. Everyone that was approached about donating an item was eager and willing to participate this year – thank you!

This year, we were lucky enough to have Santa and Elvis join the fun. Dr. Don Dewey returned to Tallahassee as our mystery guest, dressed up as Elvis, while his longtime nurse Robert Keaton came as Santa. Of course, Santa brought candy canes to all who have been good this year. We appreciate and enjoyed having Dr. Dewey and Mr. Keaton spend the evening with us. Their costumes were excellent and they were really “in character” for their special appearance at the Auction.

We are so grateful to the many physicians who donated a stay at their vacation homes. Dr. Kevin Frazer and his wife, Madolyn and Dr. Stephen Cremin and his wife, Jen all own a condo in San Destin and donated a stay for 3 Nights! Dr. Scott Sellinger and his wife, Jinger donated a stay at their condo in Keystone, Colorado. Dr. Charles Bianco and his wife, Linda donated a week stay at their vacation home in Apalachicola. Dr. Sinclair Franz and his wife, Angela donated a three-night stay in their Lake House at Santa Rosa Beach. Dr. Bob Thornberry and his wife, Marcia donated a week stay at "The Generals’ Quarters" on Alligator Point. Jann Bellamy’s (married to Dr. Ray Bellamy) mother donated a week stay at her Waynesville, NC vacation home. Thank you all for your generosity!

Our physicians who donated their artwork/photography included Dr. Chuck Manning, Dr. Andy Borom, and Dr. Rick MacArthur.

Dr. Scott Sellinger and Dr. John Mahoney both did a great job as our auctioneers again this year. They both serve on the CMS Foundation Board of Directors and are very dedicated to making the Auction a success every year.

Our Marketing Assistant, Shannon Dent served as our “Vanna White” again this year. She did a great job showing off the Live Auction items and coordinating, both logistically and fashionably, with the Auctioneers. Thanks Shannon for doing a terrific rendition of the famous Vanna White.
We also want to thank Craig Dennis, who owns Ashley Pyrotechnics and donated a fireworks display for the Live Auction. He actually put on a fireworks display at the country club, to kick off the Live Auction!!!

There are many people to thank for making the Holiday Auction a success.

First, we had a strong Steering Committee:
Scott Sellinger, M.D., Chair
Jana Bures-Forsthoefel, M.D.
Rosalie Carlin
Mark Cuffe, M.D.
Shannon Dent
Dickie Dussia, M.D.
David Jones, M.D.
John Mahoney, M.D.
David Miles, M.D.
Deborah Strand, D.D.S.
Richard Thacker, D.O.
Frank Walker, M.D.
Tony Weaver, M.D.
Karen Wendland
Barbara Williams, M.D.

And, we had a wonderful CMS Alliance Auction Committee:
Shannon Dent
Valerie Draper
Cay Ford
Madolyn Frazer
Rebecca MacKay
Jean McCully
Cynara Miller
Tracy Morales
Alison Murrah
Nan Nagy
Trang Nguyen
Debra Placilla
Gina Tran
Karen Wendland

John L. Taylor, M.D.
August 27, 1946 – December 13, 2009

By Dr. Charles Moore

There is something about the loss of a friend or loved one that belies all words. There are none capable of expressing the rich meaning of a life well-lived, with all its many subtleties of shade, its innumerable points of light, its incalculable effects on the lives of others. We remember the dead whom we have loved, and they are thereby granted a certain form of life within our own. But memory, even so, is as far removed from the substance of having them among us as are the words that fall so short of doing justice to their lives.

So I thought when I heard the news that John L.Taylor, M.D. had died.

I grant myself the privilege to write these few words of him, determined that they should be “few” because I think he would want that. As well, I know that the more words I write, the more I will do no more than demonstrate their inadequacy.

Suffice it that John practiced OB-GYN in Tallahassee from 1979 until 1998 when he moved his practice to Thomasville. He wrote for CapScan under the pseudonym of “Chickweed,” and the rollicking good spirit of what he had to say, how he said it, and the “Super Hero” he created for the purpose wonderfully reflected his own spirit. He was a physician loved by his patients, a more than adequate proof of that fact being the letters and articles that appeared in the Democrat when he left here, all bewailing the fact that he was leaving, vowing to follow him to the ends of the earth, and Thomasville, too. With every delivery of a new baby, he would sing “Happy Birthday to you…” He was “the good physician,” without doubt. He gave his patients not only excellence, but unflagging hope and good humor. There was something dauntless about him, ready always to go against whatever the odds.

He was, as well, a man deeply appreciative of the beauty and bounty life offered. It granted him his wife, Rayner, a lovely home, children, and the honor of his profession. Beyond those privileges, he embraced life with all the delight of a kid, in a spirit of adventure. He raced his Porsche after the fashion of, well, you know, Paul Newman and Steve McQueen. He was an accomplished scuba diver, exploring the deepest reaches of underwater caverns, and coming out, sometimes by a narrow margin, to tell the tale. He loved horses. He loved dogs. I think he loved cats, too. He was a great sailor.

And so he died, suddenly, among friends and with Rayner, while sailing the Caribbean. I want to allow myself to think “what a wonderful place to die, under the blue sky, running downwind, doing something so close to God and Nature.” I find some comfort in thinking that John would have chosen just this place and moment of dying beyond perhaps any other, certainly over Archbold or TMH, stuck full of tubes.

Death, however, in its moment overwhelms time and place. Maybe though, in due course, the condolences and grief passing, and those bright points of memory shining somehow even brighter, and we have come to terms with his loss, we will be able to say it was “all as it should be,” and that John died as he lived, unafraid and courageous in spirit, and now some portion of the wind that filled his sails.