NEWS
United Way Honors Kentucky-Ecuador Partners Volunteers
The community’s top volunteers were honored at the Central Kentucky Volunteer Awards recognition breakfast on Monday, April 20, coordinated by United Way of the Bluegrass and sponsored by Lexmark. The Family Award was presented the Skinner family: Dr. Rankin and Ruthi Skinner; their son and daughter-in-law, Ian and Jill; their daughter and son-in-law, Erin and David; and Rankin’s brother and sister-in-law, Donnie and Roberta.
The entire family has actively volunteered for countless organizations over the years. They were nominated for this award based on their outstanding work with the Dental Health Initiative, locally in Clark County and abroad through Kentucky-Ecuador Partners. While the Skinners have been involved in Kentucky-Ecuador Partners since 1986, they have focused on dental health over the last seven years. The dental initiative in Clark County came about as a result of publicity on their work in Ecuador, and in response to concerns about the dental health of Kentuckians.
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The Skinner family was honored by United Way of the Bluegrass for their service to the children of Kentucky and Ecuador. |
"As human beings, we have a responsibility to use all our energy and resources to change our world for the better," said Dr. Rankin D. Skinner, who has a dental practice in Winchester, Ky.
In addition to traveling frequently to Ecuador to demonstrate oral health techniques and provide direct care, the Skinner Family organized a day where every dentist in Winchester took a day off to work in Clark County Schools, applying dental sealants to 3,000 students in one day. The family members can always be counted on to raise funds, organize and train volunteers, communicate with school leaders, gather and distribute toys to patients and ship supplies to the locations.
"The Skinner family personifies the change we would all like to see in the world. They are incredibly deserving of this recognition for their volunteer efforts on behalf of children in Kentucky and Ecuador," said Kentucky-Ecuador Partners Director Kay Roberts.
Dental decay in Ecuador is in the 85 percent range. In the United States, the national average is 22 percent and in Kentucky it is 50 percent, with significantly higher rates in some areas, including Clark County. The overall objective of the Dental Health Initiative in both Clark County and Ecuador is to significantly improve children’s dental health through education, regular cleanings, and fluoride and dental sealant application. The Dental Health Initiative serves every child in Clark County elementary schools from Head Start through sixth grade. In Ecuador, it targets children in Ibarra, Quito and surrounding areas with outreach provided through 30 government-run dental clinics. To date, more than 150,000 sealants have been applied and over 10,000 toothbrushes distributed.
Since the Dental Health Initiative began in Ecuador, there has been a 50-80 percent reduction in tooth decay among participating children. As a result of better oral health, the children enjoy better health overall, which translates into improved school attendance and better academic performance. Similar results are expected in Clark County where tooth pain is the number one reason for school absenteeism.
The Skinner family's commitment also paved the way for growth. The Ecuador initiative will expand to three additional underserved communities in 2009. The Clark County Dental Health Initiative is now fully funded by the Clark County Community Foundation, and a study is underway to track decayed, missing and filled teeth in all sixth graders.
The Central Kentucky Volunteer Awards have honored individuals, groups and organizations in the Bluegrass for 24 years. Kentucky-Ecuador Partners is a chapter of Partners of the Americas, which pairs the Commonwealth of Kentucky with areas of the South American country of Ecuador. Together, citizens on both sides of the partnership plan and implement projects in program areas such as agriculture, health, rehabilitation, education and cultural exchange. For more information, visit http://www.uky.edu/IntlAffairs/community/ecuador_partners.html.