FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Release                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           March 6, 2017

Toronto Celebrating International Women’s Day and the Sixth Anniversary of
Project Restoring Smiles – Dr. Borna Meisami Foundation:

Helping Female Survivors of Domestic Violence

Restore a smile. Empower a woman. Reclaim her life.

Video link:  http://www.drbmeisamifoundation.com/2016/03/07/video-project-restoring-smiles/

Location: Join us for interviews and photo opportunities
Tuesday, March 7 at 6:00 p.m.
Project Restoring Smiles’ new office at
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 3500
Toronto, ON M4W 1A8 in the Hudson’s Bay Centre by Bloor and Yonge

Officially celebrated on March 8 around the world, it’s a day of action to empower women and, in particular, to elevate female survivors of domestic violence.

March 8, 2017, also commemorates the sixth anniversary of Project Restoring Smiles, a charitable network of dentists and physicians who provide free treatment to survivors of domestic violence. This past year, along with expanding their services to aid even more women, Project Restoring Smiles is proud to announce that they received a multi-year grant, representing $200,000 over four years, from Green Shield Canada (GSC). This grant was awarded as part of the GSC Community Giving Program which helps support organizations and initiatives that provide frontline care for underinsured or uninsured Canadians.

“The Green Shield Canada grants are a tremendous opportunity to expand the services that we are able to provide and to recruit a more meaningful group of providers willing to serve and better understand the unique needs of this particular group,” says project founder, oral and maxillofacial surgeon, Dr. Tina Meisami. “At GSC, corporate social responsibility is about integrating economic, social and environmental considerations into our decision-making processes and day-to-day operations while better serving the needs of our community,” says Sarah Saso, CSR-P and managing director of social innovation for GSC.

The Toronto-based Project Restoring Smiles was founded by five University of Toronto faculty of dentistry alumnae – Dr. Tina Meisami, Dr. Shiva Shadmand, Dr. Maureen Fenn, Dr. Renu Varshney and Dr. Yasmin Mawji. It grew out of the Dr. Borna Meisami Commemorative Foundation to honour the work and humanitarian efforts of Dr. Borna Meisami, a compassionate surgeon deeply concerned about women’s social issues. Through the philanthropic work of dental treatment providers and generous community sponsors, our services help survivors of domestic violence rediscover their selfconfidence by restoring their smiles, empowering them to move forward and to reclaim their lives after abuse.

“Our foundation’s vision and mission is to restore confidence in women who have survived domestic violence by addressing more than just the physical effects of abuse,” says Dr. Tina Meisami. “Our services actually transcend the ability to smile, chew properly and talk, and empower these women to reclaim their lives and to uplift themselves and their children.”

As a Canada Revenue Agency-registered charity, the Dr. Borna Meisami Commemorative Foundation is focused on expanding the Project Restoring Smiles services to meet the needs of female survivors of abuse. In 2016, the Dr. Borna Meisami Foundation provided over $120,000 worth of restorative treatment for over 30 patients, most of whom live in shelters in the GTA.

“Restoring a woman’s smile has an incredibly powerful effect on her overall physical and mental health,” says Dr. Tina Meisami. “It is inspiring to know that restoring a smile can really improve someone’s life by reinvigorating someone’s self-confidence, her relationships, her job prospects.”

To contact us for volunteering and partnership opportunities, call 416-915-4495, visit www.drbmeisamifoundation.com or find our booth (#100) at the Ontario Dental Association’s Annual Spring Meeting, May 4–6 2017, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

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Media are invited to a sixth anniversary celebration in Toronto on March 7 at Project Restoring Smiles’ new office at 2 Bloor Street East, Suite 3500, Toronto, ON M4W 1A8 in the Hudson’s Bay Centre by Bloor and Yonge, to celebrate International Women’s Day. RSVP to drbmeisamifoundation@gmail.com by Monday, March 6 for additional details and to schedule your interview.

Contact Information
www.drbmeisamifoundation.com
drbmeisamifoundation@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/drbornameisamifoundation
Twitter: www.twitter.com/restoringsmiles
Adrianne, communications director, 647-888-3388 or
Amy, foundation administrator, 416-915-4495

About the Foundation
Video link: http://www.drbmeisamifoundation.com/2016/03/07/video-project-restoring-smiles/

The Restoring Smiles project is administered by the Toronto-based Dr. Borna Meisami Commemorative Foundation, which was established in 2010 to honor the memory of Dr. Borna Meisami. Borna was an orthopaedic surgeon and a humanitarian who was deeply affected by violence against women. Borna passed away at the age of 40 on July 1, 2007. Restoring Smiles commemorates his work as a compassionate and humane doctor with deep concerns about women’s social issues.

Interested in getting involved or learning more about how you can help survivors of domestic violence? The Foundation is seeking new doctors and social workers to join the team and expand our coverage across Canada. To get in touch, call 416-915-4495, visit www.drbmeisamifoundation.com or find our booth #100 at the Ontario Dental Association’s Annual Spring Meeting, May 4th- 6th 2017 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.