Monday will mark seven years since 11 lives were taken inside Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue, and each year since, volunteers step up to help and serve the community as a way of honoring them. On Sunday, volunteers came together at Catholic Charities of Pittsburgh to pack dental kits and to honor Dr. Richard Gottfried, a dentist who was one of 11 killed in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting on Oct. 27, 2018. His wife, Dr. Peg Durachko, was there with family and friends Sunday as part of the effort organized by the 10/27 Healing Partnership. There, volunteers, some as young as 4 years old, came together to assemble the kits, which will go to help community members in need. “I’m here today to help pack dental healthcare kits to give to patients who are in need of them,” Durachko said. “I want people to have good dental health. I’m a retired dentist, but, still love the profession. I want people to feel good about dentistry and coming here, to this healthcare center, and Catholic Charities itself, it helps to show people that it’s wonderful to volunteer and it’s wonderful to do good, to show kindness to others.”Gottfried and his wife owned a dental practice together, and both volunteered at Catholic Charities of Pittsburgh to serve those who could not afford quality dental care. The organization serves people of all faiths, 84% of whom are non-Catholic. When Catholic Charities moved to a larger space on the Boulevard of the Allies two years ago, it allowed them to expand both their programs and their clinics. Following the expansion, a generous donor offered to donate to name an operatory in Dr. Richard Gottfried’s memory; the board of Catholic Charities unanimously agreed to instead name the entire dental clinic after him. “I found out Catholic Charities was relocating here to the Boulevard of the Allies, and I was invited, actually, I was asked whether it would be okay for the new facility to dedicate the dental department to my late husband and I said, ‘Oh, my, he would be honored,'” Durachko said. “His name, his spirit, will be memorialized here; it’s fabulous.”The dental clinic serves people at 250% or below the poverty line, including those who are uninsured or underinsured. Many of the people Peg and Richard saw when they volunteered were people who were working full-time jobs and yet weren’t making a living wage and couldn’t afford dentistry somewhere else. Catholic Charities now offers a range of programs to a wide range of clientele.They hope to continue working and partnering with other nonprofits to break down barriers to care. Looking for more news in your area | Subscribe to the WTAE YouTube Channel
PITTSBURGH —
Monday will mark seven years since 11 lives were taken inside Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue, and each year since, volunteers step up to help and serve the community as a way of honoring them.
On Sunday, volunteers came together at Catholic Charities of Pittsburgh to pack dental kits and to honor Dr. Richard Gottfried, a dentist who was one of 11 killed in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting on Oct. 27, 2018.
His wife, Dr. Peg Durachko, was there with family and friends Sunday as part of the effort organized by the 10/27 Healing Partnership. There, volunteers, some as young as 4 years old, came together to assemble the kits, which will go to help community members in need.
“I’m here today to help pack dental healthcare kits to give to patients who are in need of them,” Durachko said. “I want people to have good dental health. I’m a retired dentist, but, still love the profession. I want people to feel good about dentistry and coming here, to this healthcare center, and Catholic Charities itself, it helps to show people that it’s wonderful to volunteer and it’s wonderful to do good, to show kindness to others.”
Gottfried and his wife owned a dental practice together, and both volunteered at Catholic Charities of Pittsburgh to serve those who could not afford quality dental care. The organization serves people of all faiths, 84% of whom are non-Catholic.
When Catholic Charities moved to a larger space on the Boulevard of the Allies two years ago, it allowed them to expand both their programs and their clinics.
Following the expansion, a generous donor offered to donate to name an operatory in Dr. Richard Gottfried’s memory; the board of Catholic Charities unanimously agreed to instead name the entire dental clinic after him.
“I found out Catholic Charities was relocating here to the Boulevard of the Allies, and I was invited, actually, I was asked whether it would be okay for the new facility to dedicate the dental department to my late husband and I said, ‘Oh, my, he would be honored,'” Durachko said. “His name, his spirit, will be memorialized here; it’s fabulous.”
The dental clinic serves people at 250% or below the poverty line, including those who are uninsured or underinsured.
Many of the people Peg and Richard saw when they volunteered were people who were working full-time jobs and yet weren’t making a living wage and couldn’t afford dentistry somewhere else.
Catholic Charities now offers a range of programs to a wide range of clientele.
They hope to continue working and partnering with other nonprofits to break down barriers to care.
Looking for more news in your area | Subscribe to the WTAE YouTube Channel