COOS BAY - With boxes of toothbrushes, dental floss and toothpaste stacked along the walls, the conference room at the South Coast Education Service District resembled a dental clinic in the making.

But before long, the boxes were torn open, brushes and floss separated and stuffed into more than 1,500 bags - ready to be delivered to elementary schools throughout Coos Bay and North Bend.

Supplies were snatched by slender fingers bearing a bevy of maroon and mauve colors, disappearing almost as quickly as the jumble of glimmering colors arrived. Hands had to be quick, as more than two dozen women filled box after box with toothbrushing kits, two or three at a time.

Sponsored by the Soroptimists International of the Coos Bay Area, the Children's Oral Hygiene Project for Success provides local students and Head Start pre-schoolers with brushes, paste and floss to encourage a lifetime of healthy teeth.

According to Cindy Kronsberg, the organizer of the hygiene program, it all started with a suggestion by school officials, who said many students need dental supplies.

“Some children don't understand that their teeth aren't supposed to hurt. But that's how it's always been for them, so they don't know any better,” said Angie Webster, head nurse at Coos Bay schools. “Dental health is something a lot of the nurses struggle to help students with, and sometimes things like abscesses can lead to infections and a lot of time out of school.”

While the focus of the project is getting the supplies to children who need them the most, club members have too much fun together to see any part of it as a chore. Stuffing bags, marking boxes and folding flyers, the women joked and laughed, now and then snatching a quick slice of pizza before getting back to work.

“This isn't so bad,” said club member Marcia Mann, as she pushed toothpaste into two bright red-and-white bags hanging from her thumb.

“No, I'm on auto-pilot,” Tracey Clark, club president, agreed with a laugh.

“I feel like a trained chimp,” joked Cheryl Crockett, sending the women into fresh gales of laughter.

Before long, more than 15 boxes were filled with the oral hygiene packs, dwarfing Carol Seven, who, armed with a marker, diligently recorded the number of bags in each box.

Good brushing habits

The hygiene program, which is now in its second year, has made a difference for local students, Webster said.

“I've noticed fewer kids saying they don't have a toothbrush or toothpaste at home in the last few years,” she said. “The community has been supportive of providing hygienic supplies through our Operation Backpack program, but the Soroptimists' program allows us to provide so many supplies to so many more kids.”

In response to the club's requests, dozens of local businesses and dentists donated funds and supplies. Although the myriad donations resulted in a few shortages - floss was the first thing to go - the supplies give school nurses an opportunity to teach students about oral health and good brushing habits during Dental Hygiene Month in February.

North Bend School District Nurse Kelly Conrad said the packs also teach students responsibility and give them ownership in keeping their teeth healthy.

“They're excited about the packs,” she said. “They like getting new brushes and they love having their own floss, because some of them don't get their own at home.”

Although the preventative care helps to keep serious dental problems from forming, Conrad said some students still come in with abscesses and other issues.

“We have dental problems as far as teeth not getting cleaned everyday, but some kids, with serious dental issues, fall between the cracks between not having dental insurance and not qualifying for the Oregon Health Plan,” Conrad said. “But over the last several years I've seen the difference in their overall dental health. The students at least know what they're supposed to be doing, even if they're not putting it into practice all the time.”

Although the Soroptimists have been using the CHOHPS program to improve the lives of children, the dental project isn't the only way the group helps children and women in the community. The club also sponsors the annual Community Baby Shower, which collects maternity and infant donations for the Department of Human Services' assistance closet.

Regional baby shower

The baby shower, a joint venture between the Coos-Curry DHS and Coos Bay Soroptimists, started out four years ago as a way to gather supplies for new families without the means to purchase diapers and formula, much less strollers, car seats or diaper bags. The program has sky-rocketed and is now a regional event sponsored on the same day each year by Soroptimists clubs throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana.

“If you could see some of the faces of people who come in, some of the women just don't know how they're going to get any help,” said Mary Ellen Peters, with the Coos-Curry DHS office. “We have women who are in jobs they have to quit due to their pregnancy or without a job at all. The relief, and the joy, on the mothers' faces when they see the packages we provide, is just amazing.”

The shower, which has inspired community support throughout the area, accepts all kinds of donations for children and expectant mothers (see sidebar).

“These tend to be very expensive items to purchase. These are not the kinds of items you can buy with food stamps,” Peters said. “I think they come in thinking we're going to give them a little box, and we don't. We do everything we can to provide a wide array of items. I've had ladies break into tears.”

The help provided through the closet also can inspire more people to donate the following year, said Sharon Smith, a Soroptimists member.

“Last year, we had a little old lady come in who said her granddaughter had been helped by our program, and she wanted to help us in return,” Smith said.

The shower program has made such a huge difference in the community that Peters said the DHS closet couldn't get by without it.

“I think this is even greater and even more important than we thought it would be in the beginning,” she said. “Our most innocent citizens are babies, and we're keeping them safe, happy, healthy and warm.”