OUR BOARD MEMBERS
Kim Groizard - Founder & Project Manager
Kim is a passionate Rotarian (Paul Harris Fellow) from the Rotary Club of Albert Park & a Lived Experience Community Presenter for The Blackdog Institute, helping break the stigma for people living with a mental health illness. Kim is a qualified dental assistant and dental radiographer from her 5 years with the RAAF. Drawing on her experience of working in portable RAAF dental clinics the logistical side of Solar Smiles Dental Charity was conceived.
These days, Kim owns Health People, a specialist Dentist, Allied Health & Medical Specialist recruitment consultancy. By using her big smile and her powers of persuasion she has managed to bring together a passionate bunch of professionals to turn her little dream of helping kids in developing countries into a reality.
Let's meet her Brains Trust!
Dr Phil Hill - Deputy Project Manager & Clinical Director
Dr Phil is a passionate Rotarian (Paul Harris Fellow) from Rotary Club of Fitzroy, Melbourne who qualified with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery in 1981 from the University of Melbourne.
Phil and his wife Claire have recently sold their successful private dental practice in Doncaster. With reducing to part time hours, Phil has recently experienced the joy of volunteering in Timor Leste delivering free dental treatment to the local community in Maubisse. It was through this trip, Phil's passion to help and the contacts he made, that Solar Smiles Dental Charity has found partners in Australia and on the ground in Timor Leste to roll out an ongoing sustainable preventative and relief of pain dentistry program to rural communities in Maubisse, Timor Leste.
Loryn Clark - Rotary Past President PHF
Loryn has been a Rotarian (Paul Harris Fellow) with Rotary Club of Albert Park for over 20 years, during this time she has been the President of the Club and held 9800 District positions & International marketing positions within Rotary International based in Chicago. Professionally Loryn has run her own successful marketing and IT businesses and brings a wealth of knowledge to the Solar Smiles Dental Team.
Loryn has been involved with the initial conception and fundraising for many International & local projects over the years but the Fire & Medical Truck for South Africa has the most synygy with Solar Smiles Dental Charity. This truck has helped support local communities and save lives during the recent bushfires. The community is very grateful of the donated truck from Rotary Club of Albert Park to their community.
Dr Julie Gittins - Clinical Director of the Cambodia Tour January 2017
Dr Julie Gittins and Kim have been best friends for many years, first meeting as recruits at the Royal Australian Air Force dental assisting trainee program at Adelaide in 1996. Dr Julie completed a Masters in Dentistry at La Trobe University in 2012. After returning from Cambodia in Jan 2017 after spending time working in private, military & public dental settings she built and launched Frankston City Dental Centre, where she works as the Principle Dentist.
Dr Julie is passionate about providing quality dentistry focusing on prevention of oral diseases and providing quality dental treatments aimed at preserving natural tooth structure for a lifelong smile, regardless whether the patient is in Frankston VIC or living in a developing country.
Colin McKay - Dental Prosthetist
Colin and his partner Carol are very knowledgeable members of Solar Smiles Dental Charity and bring a wealth of experience from working with other Rotary Clubs that have set up dental clinics in developing countries. Colin has been involved in the dental industry since 1960 starting as an apprentice dental prosthetist then after 10 years opened his own clinic that he ran for 48 years.
In recent years Colin and Carol have been involved with Rotary Club of Ballarat West helping to set up a dental clinic and lab in Vanuatu & then also volunteering in Tonga's main dental hospital and outer islands. Colin tended to work in the labs delivering dentures to the community, whilst Carol visited the many village schools daily with dentists and oral hygiene nurses to teach children how to clean their teeth and adding fluoride to their drinking bottles.
The field experience that Colin and Carol bring to Solar Smiles Dental Charity is invaluable, as we can now identify possible issues before they happen, saving money and time.
Profiles & Pictures - Coming Soon
Claire Hill - Rotarian PHF
Denise Charman - Rotary Past President PHF
Through Rotary Australia Community Services (RAWCS), Solar Smiles Dental Charity is registered as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission ABN 37 739 341 003