Free Clinic receives $150K
Lynchburg News and Advance
Wednesday, January 4, 2007The Free Clinic of Central Virginia has received the largest financial gift in its 20-year history - $150,000 - in memory of a founding member of the board and longtime volunteer. The gift will benefit all who use the clinic’s newly renovated dental suite, which will be named for Greg Sheehan Arthur, who died in July 2006.
The substantial gift comes from her husband, Dr. Lewis Angelo Arthur, a dentist who continues to volunteer at the Free Clinic on Main Street in Lynchburg.
“Dr. Arthur came in mid-December and said ‘I’d like to make a big gift to the clinic for the dental expansion,’” said Bob Barlow, Free Clinic executive director.
Barlow said he was pleased that Arthur wanted to give a gift to the clinic, but when Arthur told him the amount, “I was shocked - that is our largest gift, ever.”
Other high-dollar donations include last year’s Centra Health Foundation gift of $100,000 for use in equipping the expanded dental clinics.
Arthur asked if the dental suite could be named for his wife. Barlow took the request to the executive board, which approved it.
Arthur, who was a charter member of the Free Clinic, helped equip the original dental program.
The gift was made to help the clinic and in memory of Greg Arthur, her husband said Tuesday.
“This was a way to help ensure the expansion, doubling the size, would carry on and be done and also something that was done so it would be a memorial to her,” Dr. Arthur said.
Over the years the couple supported the clinic both financially and by working to publicize the program, the concept and the need for a Free Clinic, said Barlow.
Greg Arthur gave countless hours to the clinic and was on the original 1987 board of directors, serving until 1995.
“She brought quiet wisdom to the board,” Barlow said. And when she spoke, “people listened.”
“She led by example, by who she was,” said Barlow. “She didn’t have to be president or vice president; people respected her as somebody who cared about people.”
Carol Birce, who since 1988 has worked as both a volunteer and paid dental assistant at the Free Clinic, said, “Everything she did reflected her care about the community.”
Rene Fultz, a dental assistant who once worked for Dr. Arthur and volunteered at the Free Clinic, noted Greg Arthur’s caring ways.
“She was such a dear and honest person and loved helping people,” said Fultz. When Arthur, who died of cancer, was in the final stages of the illness, “you could never tell from her smile - she always had the smile and caring about her.”
Greg Arthur would be pleased that the gift is going to the Free Clinic to help others, said Fultz.
The $150,000, plus another $50,000 received from other dentists and friends-of-providing-dental-services will just about cover the construction costs for renovating the downstairs of the Free Clinic. The new dental suite will take about $60,000 a year to operate.
It will open for business Jan. 10.
The renovated area includes six operatories (dental rooms with chair and equipment). The three operatories upstairs will now be moved downstairs.
The new equipment includes a sterilization station “with all the bells and whistles,” said Barlow.
The Free Clinic’s daytime dental program grew rapidly after a 2003 contract began with Virginia Commonwealth University, which brings both dental students and dental hygiene students to the Lynchburg facility for a two-week clinical rotation.
With the expansion, VCU has agreed to increase the number of students from four to six per rotation, said Barlow.
About 58 area dentists volunteer at the Free Clinic.
The clinic has about 2,000 visits a year, Barlow said. “With the expansion it should be closer to 4,000 visits.”
“Each year we’ve tried to grow our services, knowing how much the need is,” said Barlow.
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