JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- We're there! And it's all because our community stepped up to give. The Apple Project Dental clinic opens May 21st, 2015. Organizers say it's the only free dental clinic in Jacksonville. It's geared for low-income people who no insurance who qualify under state guidelines.
To see if you qualify for the new clinic, click on the story which says, "Do I qualify?"
Gary Bryant found out he qualified for the clinic. He's a veteran from the Korean War. Bryant says he grew up in a boys' home because his parents left him and his brother.
He never remembers going to a dentist.
His bottom teeth became so painful, he says, he took pliers and pulled them out himself.
He says he couldn't afford $3-$400 to pay a dentist.
But Bryant now has a set of new teeth and he's thrilled.
When he first saw himself in the mirror, he quipped, "Back to being handsome!"
Of course, it's much more than looks. Now Bryant can chew food again. He's dreaming of a steak from Longhorn Steakhouse, his favorite place.
Bryan is a retired painter. Just out of his own kindness, he volunteered to paint the new Apple Project dental clinic off Timuquana at no charge. He spent more than 150 hours painting the inside.
The Weaver Family Fund at the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida matched donations 1 to 1 during The Apple Project. The community came forward with cash and in-kind donations reaching a million dollars.
Community Health Outreach/Healing Hands is the non-profit running the clinic.
