Veterans have many needs in their everyday lives, and fortunately many organizations exist to help them in this way. That is certainly the case for a VFW auxiliary group in Chicago, which helps to connect veterans with dentists who can provide them with free dental work.
The group, known as Smiles for Veterans, has only gotten off the ground in the last few years, but has already helped a number of veterans gain access to free dental care that is not covered by the VA, according to a report from Fox 32 Chicago. The group was started by Patricia DeVore, who was inspired to help with this issue by the problems her own brother – also a veteran – faced in getting quality dental care after he left the service. Specifically, DeVore said her brother talked about wanting to be able to confidently smile at people once again.
"You deal with what you get," Charles Medalis, a Vietnam War veteran who was recently helped by the group, told the station. "The same thing in the service, you deal with what you get. I had several infections in my mouth, so they said they could pull my teeth, but they wouldn't give me dentures. [Getting this help] gives you more confidence. Now I can smile. Before, I'd never let my mouth be open wide enough to be seen."
Groups that help veterans deal with everyday financial or medical needs provide an invaluable service to these men and women, and are likewise important to support themselves. Veterans who need any type of assistance should always be on the lookout for such organizations, as the groups' help could go a long way toward helping to improve the veteran's lives.