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Dental clinic makes contribution to library
By Danny restivo
HUBBARD
By whitening smiles, a local dental clinic has made a major contribution to the city’s library.
Dr. Mark Braydich presented a check for $14,700 Wednesday to Heather O’Hara, the Hubbard Public Library board president, outside the Braydich Dental Clinic on East Liberty Street. The clinic raised the money for the library by charging $100 for teeth whitening from March to June.
“We’re just honored,” O’Hara said.
The idea for the donation came from Drs. Mark and Rudy Braydich, dentists and brothers, who have served Hubbard for 20 years and 35 years, respectively. Dr. Mark Braydich credits his staff of 20, as well as his customers for making the donation possible.
This is the second time the clinic offered a donation from its Smiles for Charity fund to the library. In 2010, the clinic donated $12,100.
Sherry Ault, the library’s director, said the money was appreciated then, and its received with even more gratitude now.
“It allows us to do things we otherwise couldn’t do,” she said.
Ault points to a decrease in the library’s budget over the past three years. Since 2001, the library’s budget hovered around $900,000 until it was cut to $668,000 in 2009.
But she said a continuing a 1.9-mill tax levy passed in 2010 has eased some of the burden.
Ault said private donations like Braydich Dental’s, allowed library members to use digital downloading for music, electronic reading material, more books, and other important resources.
Library officials haven’t finalized any plans for Wednesday’s donation, but they are looking at offering electronic magazines and possibly digitizing old newspapers, she said.
Along with supporting the library, the dental clinic has provided charitable donations to animal shelters and other philanthropic efforts.
Dr. Mark Braydich said he, his employees and customers use the library often, and the broad number of people it supports is one of the reasons why the clinic continues its financial support.