Agoura Hills dentist launches campaign to help Casa Pacifica
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

Dr. Daniel Smith

Daniel Smith loves a good smile.

The Agoura Hills dentist works hard to clean and brighten the pearly whites of his patients. But the dentist hasn't stopped there.

He also wants to bring smiles to the more than 300 children who receive mental health services from Casa Pacifica in Camarillo.

To brighten the lives and faces of the youngsters, Smith set out last month to raise $75,000 for the residential treatment facility that serves abused, neglected and emotionally disturbed children.

Smith said he'll give 50 cents- up to $25,000- for every dollar his patients donate to Casa Pacifica in 2008.

"I'm trying to get more people involved with Casa Pacifica," Smith said of the campaign that began Dec. 1. "Most people don't know that it exists . . . It's in our own backyard, my goodness."

His campaign appears to be building steam. In December, his patients donated $600, according to a Casa Pacifica official.

"It's such an incredibly generous challenge he's put to the community, not only financially, but in sharing the story of children here at Casa Pacifica," spokesperson Vicki Murphy said.

"For people to know that children are here and in need . . . that's a profound contribution," Murphy added.

Smith has a supply of donation envelopes in his waiting room, or his patients can contribute directly to Casa Pacifica and the nonprofit will notify Smith. Either way, Smith will make his financial contribution.

Even staff members of the practice he shares with two other dentists are getting onboard with the challenge. One employee contributed the equivalent of a day's pay to Casa Pacifica.

Smith said he chose Casa Pacifica because of the "amazing" work it does with at-risk children and their families. He also said he was drawn by the large force of volunteers, which means a larger portion of donated funds goes directly into programs and services for the children.

"People believe in it so strongly that they aren't concerned with pay," Smith said.

Casa Pacifica is the largest nonprofit provider of children's mental health services in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Each year the nonprofit must raise around 10 percent to 12 percent of its operating expenses- for 2007-08, that's at least $2.3 million in a $23million budget. The operating budget was $20 million last year.

While Casa Pacifica is funded primarily through government contracts, private donations are needed to fill the gap.

The money Smith and his patients donate could support Casa Pacifica's mobile team of mental health professionals who respond immediately to crisis situations where children are violent or suicidal.

Or the money could help fund the preschool or therapeutic summer, winter and spring camps Casa Pacifica operates- programs that receive little or no government funding.

Casa Pacifica serves about 360 children and their families each day through campus- and community-based programs that include a crisis-care shelter, medical clinic, nonpublic school, parent-child-interactive therapy and a residential treatment facility for children unable to live in group or foster care homes. Casa Pacifica expects to serve 5,000 individuals in 200708 between the children and their family members enrolled in one of its programs.