Tonight was a great night with my friends to celebrate mary's Birthday and cheer her and Marci off to national competition. Have fun ladies, I know the judges and delegates will love you both!!
The Love of my Life: My Husband
Kimberly & SSgt James T. Meehan Jr.(with our niece/god daughter MacKenzie)
The Royal Pets
Our daughters; Maggie & Mina
The 4 dynamics of my life
What makes me happy is understanding and contributing to the 4 most important dynamics of my life. They include: myself, family, groups (friends/co-workers) and man-kind.
Harmoniously balancing these can be challenging at times but in the end this is what makes my life rewarding. Personal growth is something I will work on consistantly throughout my life, not only for myself but for those around me. "When you're green you're growing, when you're ripe you rot. A fulfilled life is a learning and growing experience."
My husband, family, and friends are an integral part of my life. I love my job as a Dental Hygienist and I am very active in the community, both in NJ and PA. As you can see, from my growing list of community outreach, I am dedicated to promoting school based oral health awareness and encouraging participation in community dentistry. Over the years my goal has been to visit as many classrooms as possible, I feel it is important for me to promote my title, even more important for me to promote good oral health amongst the community. I feel very blessed to have been given the opportunity to participate in building healthier communities and promoting a title at the same time.
Enjoy my Blog, I am sharing with you every aspect of my life. These photos represent the rewarding experiences I have had thus far with my community service efforts, and they represent me truly for who I am. A special thanks to everyone who is a part of my life because without you I may not be me. Everyone is inspiring in their own way and I learn something from every one of you.
Educating for a Healthy Smile
Tooth decay is the #1 most common chronic childhood disease in America. Children suffering from tooth decay will often have difficulty eating and sleeping, therefore affecting their ability to concentrate. Educating for a Healthy Smile is an initiative to promote the importance of children's oral health through education. For the past 3 years, I have been visiting school classroom's, community centers and churches throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania, educating children grades K-3 on the importance of a healthy smile. My presentation introduces them to proper brushing, healthy snacks and dental sealants. Thanks to my generous sponsors, each child is given a free toothbrush and educational materials to take home to their parents.
Each presentation is approximately 45 minutes long, depending on the size of the group. I will start off the presentation by introducing myself and "Little Bill", he is my stuffed donkey that has very big teeth, we use him for the children to practice brushing with. I will then introduce some dental words the children may be unfamiliar with, show them a video on children's oral health , demonstrate proper brushing and allow the children to brush "Little Bill's" teeth, discuss healthy vs. non healthy snacks for the teeth, explain what a dental sealant is and then have a question & answer session with the children.
You will find my contact information on this blog, please contact me if you are interested in having a children's oral health presentation in your school, church or community center.
Smiles Across America is a national program that brings the educational component of community dentistry into inner city classrooms across the country. Please visit their web site for more information on a program that might be in your community.
Bright Smiles, Bright Futures, which is sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive, is another children's oral health program that has provided me with my educational materials, if I can not be in the classroom, any teacher may request toothbrushes and educational material to be sent to your classroom. This is a national and a global program that allows teachers to be oral health educators when the dental professionals can not be there. I encourage all teachers to be oral health educators, please visit their web site to request the proper materials for your in school presentation.
A special thanks to Dr Bresler and his cavity busters team for donating "little Bill" and thousands of toothbrushes for me to give to the children. I am happy to also be given the opportunity to connect the Philadelphia children to any of the 6 locations Dr. Bressler has throughout Pennsylvania.
Each presentation is approximately 45 minutes long, depending on the size of the group. I will start off the presentation by introducing myself and "Little Bill", he is my stuffed donkey that has very big teeth, we use him for the children to practice brushing with. I will then introduce some dental words the children may be unfamiliar with, show them a video on children's oral health , demonstrate proper brushing and allow the children to brush "Little Bill's" teeth, discuss healthy vs. non healthy snacks for the teeth, explain what a dental sealant is and then have a question & answer session with the children.
You will find my contact information on this blog, please contact me if you are interested in having a children's oral health presentation in your school, church or community center.
Smiles Across America is a national program that brings the educational component of community dentistry into inner city classrooms across the country. Please visit their web site for more information on a program that might be in your community.
Bright Smiles, Bright Futures, which is sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive, is another children's oral health program that has provided me with my educational materials, if I can not be in the classroom, any teacher may request toothbrushes and educational material to be sent to your classroom. This is a national and a global program that allows teachers to be oral health educators when the dental professionals can not be there. I encourage all teachers to be oral health educators, please visit their web site to request the proper materials for your in school presentation.
A special thanks to Dr Bresler and his cavity busters team for donating "little Bill" and thousands of toothbrushes for me to give to the children. I am happy to also be given the opportunity to connect the Philadelphia children to any of the 6 locations Dr. Bressler has throughout Pennsylvania.
What is a dental sealant?
The reason I have incorporated dental sealant awareness into my presentations is because dental sealants are the most underutilized preventative dental service amongst our children. I feel they are underutilized mostly because of the lack of education as well as the cost. I try to participate in as many community dentistry projects involving free dental sealant placement as I can. Each year, I participate with the Pennsylvania component of the ADHA to provide free sealants to uninsured children, this event is called "Sealant Saturday." Every January-March free dental sealants are offered throughout various dental clinics in the Pennsylvania area. A dental sealant is a thin, plastic coating painted on the chewing surfaces of teeth – usually the back teeth (the premolars, and molars) – to prevent tooth decay. The painted on liquid sealant quickly bonds into the depressions and grooves of the teeth forming a protective shield over the enamel of each tooth.
Although thorough brushing and flossing can remove food particles and plaque from smooth surfaces of teeth, they cannot always get into all the nooks and crannies of the back teeth to remove the food and plaque. Sealants protect these vulnerable areas from tooth decay by "sealing out" plaque and food. Statistics show that 90% of tooth decay in children and adults occurs on the chewing surface of the molars, therefore 90% of cavities can be prevented by the use of dental sealants.
Although thorough brushing and flossing can remove food particles and plaque from smooth surfaces of teeth, they cannot always get into all the nooks and crannies of the back teeth to remove the food and plaque. Sealants protect these vulnerable areas from tooth decay by "sealing out" plaque and food. Statistics show that 90% of tooth decay in children and adults occurs on the chewing surface of the molars, therefore 90% of cavities can be prevented by the use of dental sealants.
Permanent molar without a dental sealant
The stained grooves are where 90% of cavities occur.
Permanent molar with a dental sealant
The grooves are protected from food and bacteria entering them.
For information on free dental sealant placement locations throughout PA & NJ please visit:
CONGRATULATIONS PHILLIES!!!!!
WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!!!!!!
My portfolio
My CrossFit South Philly
My CrossFit South Philly Testimonial
I joined CrossFit South Philly almost 1 year ago. What I have gained from this experience is much more than I expected. I joined to “lose weight” for a fitness competition in a national pageant, however I gained a lot more than I thought I would. I gained strength, endurance, confidence, and health.
Strength: I was working out at a gym before, using 10 lb dumbbells for curls & shoulder presses, and doing modified pushups. Currently to my surprise I can deadlift 160lbs, hang power clean 65lbs, front squat 85lbs, thrust 85lbs, swing a 14K kettlebell overhead, and do standard pushups.
Endurance: Before CrossFit, I would run 1.5 miles with my husband a few days a week stopping once or twice to catch my breath on the way. Just recently, my husband and I ran and completed our first 10 mile run, the Broad Street Run. I completed the 10 mile run without stopping once to catch my breath, my endurance was incredible thanks to the workouts at CrossFit South Philly.
Confidence: All I can say is that being stronger has given me a different confidence level. Even if a CrossFit workout is challenging, I will fight through to complete it. I can’t say I did the same thing before when I worked out at the gym. This “do not quit” attitude has made me realize, I am a lot tougher than I thought I was. This is where that confidence has come from.
Health: When I began CrossFit, I had an existing shoulder problem. I would take Cortisone injections every 3 months and Advil on a regular basis for the discomfort. Since building strength in my shoulders I have been “pain free.” Strengthening the surrounding muscles was just what I needed to take the pain off the joint. This was certainly not something I thought I would gain from my CrossFit workouts, trust me I would have signed up a year prior if I knew that would happen.
There are a few more gains that I left out, but very important as well! An incredible support group, new friends, and quality time with my husband. My husband and I love the time we spend together at CrossFit, we finally found a workout regimen we can do together.
Funny thing is that I did not lose a pound! That just goes to show the importance of what you gain from a particular experience and not what you have lost!
I look forward to my progress over the next year with CrossFit South Philly.
Thanks CrossFit South Philly,
Kim Meehan
Strength: I was working out at a gym before, using 10 lb dumbbells for curls & shoulder presses, and doing modified pushups. Currently to my surprise I can deadlift 160lbs, hang power clean 65lbs, front squat 85lbs, thrust 85lbs, swing a 14K kettlebell overhead, and do standard pushups.
Endurance: Before CrossFit, I would run 1.5 miles with my husband a few days a week stopping once or twice to catch my breath on the way. Just recently, my husband and I ran and completed our first 10 mile run, the Broad Street Run. I completed the 10 mile run without stopping once to catch my breath, my endurance was incredible thanks to the workouts at CrossFit South Philly.
Confidence: All I can say is that being stronger has given me a different confidence level. Even if a CrossFit workout is challenging, I will fight through to complete it. I can’t say I did the same thing before when I worked out at the gym. This “do not quit” attitude has made me realize, I am a lot tougher than I thought I was. This is where that confidence has come from.
Health: When I began CrossFit, I had an existing shoulder problem. I would take Cortisone injections every 3 months and Advil on a regular basis for the discomfort. Since building strength in my shoulders I have been “pain free.” Strengthening the surrounding muscles was just what I needed to take the pain off the joint. This was certainly not something I thought I would gain from my CrossFit workouts, trust me I would have signed up a year prior if I knew that would happen.
There are a few more gains that I left out, but very important as well! An incredible support group, new friends, and quality time with my husband. My husband and I love the time we spend together at CrossFit, we finally found a workout regimen we can do together.
Funny thing is that I did not lose a pound! That just goes to show the importance of what you gain from a particular experience and not what you have lost!
I look forward to my progress over the next year with CrossFit South Philly.
Thanks CrossFit South Philly,
Kim Meehan
Mary's Birthday and send off dinner for Mary & Marci.
Tonight was a great night with my friends to celebrate mary's Birthday and cheer her and Marci off to national competition. Have fun ladies, I know the judges and delegates will love you both!!
