By CALEB FOX
Staff Reporter
With a goal of “Closing the gap and offering access to dental care services to those who served,” the second annual Patriot Ride event is set for Saturday, Sept. 21.
Put on through Care2u Dental, the Poker Chip Run honors first responders, veterans and their families. Registration for the event, which is open to all interested motorcycle riders, begins at 9 a.m. at Axholes at 111 S. Maag Ave., Oakdale.
Care2u has been offering free dental care for the past three years under the watchful eye of Theresa Shepperd, dental coach and creator of the Care2u non-profit organization.
“We are portable dentistry; our equipment comes to you. We bring the dental office to a place where we do big events,” Shepperd said.
To fund these dental clinics where the wide variety of dental equipment is shuttled from location to location, Care2u hosts local fundraisers such as the upcoming Patriot Ride on Saturday.
“The Poker Chip Run is the biggest fundraiser of the year for us and helps us get all our equipment for our dental clinics,” Shepperd explained.
The second annual Patriot Ride will include a motorcycle ride over 90 miles through the hills and around New Melones Lake.
“We start at Axholes, and the ride goes up to Columbia, over to Murphys, over to Copperopolis and ends at Crooked Spur, where we have a big party,” Shepperd said of ending the ride at the Oakdale establishment, 9831 Highway 120, just across the Stanislaus River Bridge headed north out of town.
“We have a live band coming, we’ve got lots of raffle prizes, and lots of food that’s been donated,” added Shepperd.
The entire event, including the ride and the wrap up party, is scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Featured will be music by Rearview Mirror and there will also be some activities for kids. Among the additional supporters of the event are Riverbank Modern Dentistry, Oak Valley Community Bank, Life Coach Cain, Axholes, Croooked Spur, Veterans First, Mid-Cal Blue Star Moms and Veterans In Action.
Care2u is still seeking volunteers to help with the Patriot Ride Poker Chip Run on Saturday; if interested in serving that day, call 209-222-0750.
Care2u’s dental clinics, according to officials, are “dedicated to enhancing the health of our communities by breaking the barriers between oral and overall health by delivering diagnostic, preventive, and non-surgical periodontal oral care services with compassion and care to under-served populations.”
Coming up on Saturday, Oct. 19, Care2u aims to abide by this statement by providing a dental clinic in Oakdale.
“The event we are having next month in Oakdale is open to the general public. We try to hop around and serve different demographics; there is no one we wouldn’t serve,” Shepperd said.
She added that she and her team typically serve more than 50 individuals in each clinic they host, providing exams, X-rays, oral cancer screenings, and cleanings.
“We don’t want people choosing whether to buy their groceries or get their teeth cleaned,” Shepperd said.
Care2u is also seeking donations to host more events and clinics. To learn more about Care2u and its events and dental clinics, visit care2uts.com
