Abilene man takes initiative in funds to help with dental needs
Wanting to honor his father's many years as a dentist in nearby San Angelo, Steve Collins decided to put his money where his own mouth is.
Specifically, to start a fund that will help Taylor County residents who need dental care but can't afford it.
Collins recalled that his dad, David Lamont Collins, who died in 1976, did dental work for inmates in Tom Green County and elsewhere.
He remembers his father getting calls at 3 a.m. to go help someone who might have an abscess or other problem.
"He was always willing to take care of those individuals throughout his practice," he said Thursday.
After COVID-19, the city of Abilene had to make budget cuts, Collins said, and one of the programs cut locally was a dental program through the Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District.
Another program that helped lower income people the via the Presbyterian Medical Care Mission had shuttered earlier.
The need prompted Collins to talk to Community Foundation of Abilene about seed money to help qualifying people get help with dental issues.
"I was sure there were dentists in the area that would want to help," he said.
Living legacy
Collins' father died relatively young of cancer, he said, cutting short his opportunity to help others.
"He was diagnosed, and in about three weeks, he passed away," Steve Collins said.
His father was a driven sort of person, he said, completely devoted to his work, never one to take a vacation and regularly working up to 16-hour weekdays and on Saturdays.
Collins said he admires the good the Community Foundation has done in other areas, from help in the aftermath of tornadoes to its legacy program work.
"They're such good stewards in what they do and the money they receive," Collins said. "I thought it was an excellent opportunity to get this program started."
Collins said he wants to assure the dental needs fund becomes a self-sustaining program.
"This is a way for me to leave a legacy to (my father) that will last forever," he said.
Making a difference
Community Foundation grants director Michelle Parrish said conversations started "many months ago" on the need for funds, and said Collins, who "really cared about indigent dental care" approached the entity with a desire to help.
Following meetings with Annette Lerma, director of the Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District, Christian Service Center and others, Parrish said she found many patients' best bet was to travel out of town.
Christian Service Center has a local dental program, but its funds drained quickly, while demand always was high, she said.
But with Collins' desire to help, an obvious need and an interest in a collaborative approach among key entities, including Taylor County's Social Services department, things came together.
Parrish said she hopes the program will not only be successful but have further opportunities to grow.
While the program is primarily for extractions and fillings, preventive care could at some point be supported, Parrish said.
"If someone was seeking that kind of treatment, we would support that, as well," she said. "It's anything that is needed as long as a dentist is willing to do it."
Brian Bethel covers city and county government and general news for the Abilene Reporter-News. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene man takes initiative in funds to help with dental needs
