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Office of Governor Pat Quinn

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Healthy Smiles Hero Awards



On Wednesday, October 10, 2007, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn kicks-off the first of two ceremonies honoring 24 Illinois dentists for their commitment to underserved communities with the first annual Healthy Smiles Hero Award. Nineteen honorees from central and southern Illinois will receive their award Wednesday night at the Michael J. Howlett Building, Main Floor, (501 S. 2nd St.) in Springfield. The five remaining dentists who live near the Chicago area, will receive their awards at a ceremony in Chicago on Friday, October 12.

�These dedicated dentists go above and beyond the call of duty to make sure people in rural and underserved communities across Illinois get the dental care they deserve,� Quinn said. �I salute their commitment to providing decent oral health care for everyone.�

The recipients of the 2007 Awards are: Dr. Jill Baskin of Oak Park; Dr. Aaron J. Blakely of Clinton; Dr. Maria Connoyer of Quincy; Dr. Danna Cotner of Carbondale; Dr. Gregory Dill of Greenup; Dr. Herschel Garrett of Marion, Litchfield and Missouri; Dr. Curtis High of Edwardsville; Dr. Yu-Hsien Mandy Huang of Champaign; Dr. Joseph Hagenbruch of Harvard; Dr. Mark R. Hudson of Monticello; Dr.Syreeta Jones of Kankakee; Dr. Philip B. Kepp of Mattoon; Dr. Stephen Liesen of Barry; Dr. Steven Light of Salem; Dr. Diane Metrick of Woodstock; Dr. Julio Morales of Lincoln; Dr. Richard Passmore of Macomb; Dr. Indru Punwani of Chicago; Dr. Vipul Singhal of Chicago; Dr. Robert Sprague of Paris; Dr. Dwayne Summers of Carbondale; Dr. James Wahl of Champaign; Dr. Kenneth Webb of Decatur; and Dr. Valerie Woodruff of Champaign.

The first annual Healthy Smiles Hero Awards coincides with �Healthy Smiles Week� � an oral health education week during which time oral health providers and partners across the state offer free and reduced-cost dental services to families in need.

In October 2004, Quinn helped launch Healthy Smiles Week for rural and inner-city communities.Healthy Smiles Week is recognized annually in Illinois during the second week in October which is National Dental Hygiene Month and Children�s Health Month.