Raven Maria Blanco Foundation Honors David Liddell At The Hinman Dental Meeting; ABC Captures Donation Live

Atlanta - March 31, 2011 - Thousands of dental professionals from around the world gathered in Atlanta last week at the 99th Thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting. The Raven Maria Blanco Foundation (RMBF) was among the attendees and grateful to take this opportunity to donate an automatic external defibrillator (AED) to Christina’s Smile in honor of David Liddell, a 5 year-old Atlanta resident who passed away July 9th of 2010. Danielle Brandon-Stewart, David’s mother, was present for the awarding that occurred out front of the 48 foot trailer that Christina’s Smile uses to travel the country, providing dental care to underserved children.

The short life of David Liddell was celebrated and memorialized as parents and professionals gathered. David is among 20 children who have passed away due to complications related to medical emergencies during their dental visit. In an effort of healing, Liddell’s mother joined RMBF in the awarding of the AED to Christina’s Smile, a non-profit mobile dental care facility that provides free care to nearly 2,500 children nationwide annually. Founder and President, Dr. Richard Garza stated, “We at Christina’s Smile are pleased to be the recipients of an AED in honor of David Liddell.”

The 99th Hinman Dental Meeting was a perfect platform for this event, with experts and professionals converging for three days of lectures, workshops, seminars, demonstrations, and over 160 opportunities for continuing education courses. During the event, ABC news producer Megan Chuchmach of Chief Executive Correspondent, Brian Ross’s investigative team, flew in to Atlanta to film RMBF at their Hinman booth, interviewing Mario Blanco and Dr. Larry J. Sangrik, as well as capturing the AED Christina’s Smile Donation. Mario’s role has transformed from grieving father to counselor and advocate as he travels the country, reaching out to other families and fighting for change. The spotlight affords RMBF an enormous advantage to ignite awareness. RMBF executive director, Nicole Cunha comments, “RMBF welcomes media attention and initiative. Our purpose is one of public concern and affect. The faster we get the word out, the more lives we save. We certainly want to channel that power.”

Start a Heart, RMBF’s AED partner and premier distributor of Defibtech AEDs, once again provided exceptional equipment for a first caliber cause. The Christina’s Smile donation and Hinman audience was a unique pairing of patient advocacy and dental excellence on the road to future partnerships. RMBF applauded the Hinman Meeting and its members, looking forward to greater collaboration and innovation for pediatric patient care in the coming year.
The name, life, and spirit of David Liddell will continue to touch lives across the country, driving safety and service on the path to a better future for America’s children.

RMBF is a 501 (c) (3) charity driven to providing preventative education based on medical emergency preparedness and has adopted The Six Links of Survival™, developed by the Institute of Medical Emergency Preparedness, as a convenient mechanism for dental offices to ensure that all areas of appropriate preparation are adequately covered.

Start a Heart is a distributor for Defibtech AEDs, a company that makes heart safety more affordable for businesses. The company's user-friendly AEDs were named one of 2010's hottest products in the Industrial Design Excellence competition, by the Industrial Design Society of America.

Christina's Smile Children’s Dental Clinic is a program that delivers quality comprehensive charitable dental care to children in need. Dental services are delivered utilizing two different state-of the-art mobile dental clinics.

The Thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting is in its 99th term and is a convergence of top minds, experts, and educators worldwide. The annual meeting is a forum for propelling dental practice forward, building off of a historical devotion to detail.

For more information about RMBF’s AED donation campaign, please visit www.rmbfinc.org. For Information on Start a Heart’s programs and offering, visit www.startaheart.com. The Hinman meeting can be located at www.hinman.org and to share in and learn about Christina’s Smile, go to www.csmile.com.

RMBF is a 501 (c) (3) charity driven to providing preventative education based on medical emergency preparedness and has adopted The Six Links of Survival™, developed by the Institute of Medical Emergency Preparedness, as a convenient mechanism for dental offices to ensure that all areas of appropriate preparation are adequately covered.

Nicole Cunha
Executive Director
nicole@rmbfinc.org
2748 Sonic Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23453

This release was published on openPR.