Our dream for the future is for Spokane to become an inclusive, diverse city. Right now Spokane has diversity, but we don’t have inclusivity. Inclusivity for us, in alignment with our mission, would include eliminating all barriers to good oral health, youth job training, and healthy opportunities to play sports caused by economic and racial privilege. We also dream of the day when organizations like OHF get a piece of Spokane’s funding pie to carry out our mission. We are well known and trusted in our community and are effectively carrying out essential services, however since we launched in 2011, we have experienced a funding bottleneck. To be selected for funding, competitive philanthropy often requires that organizations have funding. To get money, you must have money; but you cannot have money without getting it a true chicken-or-egg scenario.

 

In recent months, the US has experienced and finally realized the racist inequity that have plagued our country for over 400 years. Spokane was not exempt from this national outrage and was just as guilty of allowing systemic systems of racism that existed for far too long. OHF is ready to be a part of the change in our community that will impact the generations to come.

 

OHFs work focuses on creating an equitable chance for those who do not have the opportunities that accompany economic and social privilege. We focus our energies on oral health and youth sports along with youth employability development to make inroads toward equity. Since 2011, OHF nurtured and developed community partnerships with local school districts, faith communities and businesses to help implement the following programs:

Dental Access Partnership (DAP) increases access to affordable, high-quality restorative dental care in a dignified setting for those who lack access to treatment. The DAP Program model integrates OHFs dental care team (Restorative Hygienists, Expanded Function Dental Auxiliaries, and Dental Assistants) with private dental practices that are motivated to help the vulnerable in our community.