FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kristie Ceruti
(570) 602-7047
kceruti@benco.com
CAPTIONS:
1. Brandon’sForeverHome _BencoDental.jpg: Co-founder of Brandon’s Forever Home Lorine Angelo Ogurkis, Esq., fourth from left, accepts a donation of dental kits from Benco Family Foundation Executive Director Rebecca Binder, third from left, January 7 at the Benco Dental home office in Pittston, Pennsylvania. Dental kits supplied by the nation’s fastest growing dental distributor will support the non-profit’s Operation Duffel Bag effort, which offers aid to abandoned, abused and neglected children in Luzerne County. Shown, from left: Meredith Wall, Benco Dental Executive Administrative Assistant/Benco Family Foundation; Chuck Cohen, Benco Dental Managing Partner; Rebecca Binder, Benco Family Foundation Executive Director; Lorine Angelo Ogurkis, Esq., Brandon’s Forever Home Co-founder; PA State Rep. Tarah Toohil, Brandon’s Forever Home Co-founder; Rachel Pugh, Benco Dental Manager of Marketing Communications and Tim Scharle, Benco Dental Private Label Product Manager.
Benco Family Foundation,
Brandon’s Forever Home support foster children on their journey
Distributor’s
charitable arm contributes dental kits to Operation Duffel Bag effort
PITTSTON, PA — January 7, 2015 —Essentials for any traveler – at bare minimum — include a toothbrush.
Four hundred children, on average, who enter foster care due to crisis each year in Luzerne County, arrive with nothing but the clothes they’re wearing, according to PA State Rep. Tarah Toohil, 116th District.Brandon’s Forever Home and Benco Dental are working together to provide a more encouraging option. Organizers from the nonprofit organization established to raise adoption and foster care awareness arrived in Pittston, Pennsylvania at the home office of the nationwide dental distributor Tuesday, January 7 to collect the first installment of children’s toothbrushes and toothpaste the company’s Benco Family Foundation plans to donate.
“We started a non-profit 501c3 entity to encourage others to help local children in foster care. And this year is a great year because through Operation Duffel Bag we stopped the use of garbage bags (to transport their belongings),” said co-founder of Brandon’s Forever Home Lorine Angelo Ogurkis, Esq., who as an adoptive mother of children from foster care, described that as the norm. “One thing was missing to let the children know they are on a journey, on a path to something greater. Those duffels will now be filled with dental kits provided by Benco Dental and every child will have one in a time of crisis.”
Each quarter, the family-owned dental distribution company’s charitable arm will supply 100-plus dental kits for the nonprofit’s Operation Duffel Bag effort, which offers support to abandoned, abused and neglected children in Luzerne County.
“At home I had 42 foster brothers and sisters over the time period my parents took in children. My personal experience is what made me go into politics – I wanted to change the laws of foster care,” said State Rep. Toohil, co-founder of the nonprofit organization, who serves on the state Children and Youth Committee. “We’re very thankful to Benco Dental for doing this. We’re working to try to meet the need.”
“The Benco Family Foundation is really happy to support children and youth in our community in which we live and work. We heard the story of Brandon’s Forever Home and it was very compelling. Every kid should have their own toothbrush,” said Rebecca Binder, Executive Director of the Benco Family Foundation.
For details about Brandon’s Forever Home or to support its efforts, visit: http://www.brandonsforeverhome.com/
About
Benco Dental
Benco Dental, headquartered in Northeastern
Pennsylvania, is the largest privately-owned dental distribution company in the
United States, offering a full array of supplies, equipment and services to
dentists across the nation. Founded in
1930 by Benjamin Cohen, the company has remained family-owned and focused on
its unique mission to ‘deliver success, smile after smile.’ Over the past decade, Benco has been the
nation’s fastest growing dental distributor, now servicing more than 35,000
dentists and dental laboratories.
Within the past 83 years, the company has grown from a single downtown location to a national network of more than 65 regional locations, five distribution centers, and two design showrooms. Those design showrooms, one at the company’s PA headquarters and one in Southern California, feature North America’s largest selection of dental equipment and technology, as well as a hands-on dental design experience, to assist dentists in the planning and construction of a new office.
Benco, which has been named one of Pennsylvania’s ‘Best Places to Work’ for 11 of the past 12 years, is proud to boast a highly skilled team of more than 400 professionally trained sales representatives and over 300 factory-trained service technicians.
For more information, visit benco.com or call 1.800.GO.BENCO.
About Brandon’s Forever Home
Brandon’s Forever Home is a 501c3 charitable organization created to raise awareness about children in foster care and their need for permanent loving homes. It’s founding members, Pennsylvania State. Rep. Tarah Toohil and Attorney Lorine Angelo Ogurkis, realized the need in their community and decided to start the foundation to assist children.
For details about Brandon’s Forever Home or to support its efforts, visit: http://www.brandonsforeverhome.com/
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