SJHM Presents Annual Starfish Awards
LANCASTER, Pa. (March 19, 2009) – St. Joseph Health Ministries recently presented its 2008 Starfish Awards to Conestoga Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Ltd. and to volunteers Peg Berkheimer and Sister Charlotte Lagnese.
The Starfish Awards recognize individuals and organizations that make a positive contribution toward St. Joseph Health Ministries’ overall mission.
The award program borrows its name from Loren Eiseley’s “The Star Thrower.” In the essay, a boy shrugs off the daunting task of saving hundreds of starfish washed up on a beach. He throws one starfish into the surf and pronounces, “I made a difference for that one.”
Dr. Michael Eckhart accepted the award on behalf of Conestoga Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, which participates in St. Joseph Health Ministries’ “Brush. Brush. Smile!®” children’s oral health program.
“The doctors at Conestoga Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery chose healthcare to provide services to people in need,” he said. “We all live in Lancaster County and a have a strong sense of family and community. We recognize our obligation to fulfill the needs of our fellow members of the community.”
Brush. Brush. Smile!®‘s two 40-foot mobile dental clinics – each known as the “Brush Brush Bus” – provide free dental care to economically disadvantaged children throughout Lancaster County.
Since its debut in fall 2004, Brush. Brush. Smile!® has provided nearly $2.5 million worth of free dental care and oral health education to more than 16,000 children in 16 school districts.
St. Joseph Health Ministries (www.sjhm.org) is dedicated to improving the health of children in need within Lancaster County.