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SEWELL, NJ –Washington Township Dentist, Septimiu Pastiu, DMD and concerned leading Dentists from across the nation gathered at the MGE Management Experts Benefit Dinner May 30, 2014 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Government officials and community leaders joined the Dentists to raise funds for the Improving Youth Literacy Campaign in support of the Boys and Girls Clubs and Youth Programs across America. The funds raised are providing hundreds of thousands of young people with books and audio books to directly tackle illiteracy and help to break the cycle of poverty.

Notables who attended supporting literacy were: Florida Congresswoman Corrine Brown, former Pinellas County Sherriff Jim Coats, Board Member for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Suncoast Susan L. Valdes, Vice Chair Hillsborough County Public School Board Kim Sharpe, practicing Business and Commercial law with Johnson Pope Law Offices and running for Sixth Circuit Court Judge, Group 16, Amy Ronshausen, Deputy Director of  both the Drug Free America Foundation, Inc. and Save Our Society From Drugs (S.O.S.), Lt. Col. Kirk Kumagai, U.S.  Marine Corp (ret), Senior Marine Instructor of the Clearwater High School Marine Corp Junior Reserve Officers Training Corp, Reverend Alfreddie Johnson, Founder of World Literacy Crusade and Imam Willmore Siddiq, Spiritual leader, educator, and leader of the program “Putting the Neighborhood back in the Hood”

At an MGE conference in March, leading dentists and their executive staff met to analyze and take action against one of their major business issues - hiring qualified staff in these times of extraordinarily high unemployment numbers. They isolated illiteracy of applicants as a common denominator to the problem.  
According to the Family Scholarly Culture and Educational Success research, access to books is key to reading skills. Studies confirm that the number of books in the home directly predicts reading achievement. One study found that in middle income neighborhoods the ratio is 13 books per child; in low-income neighborhoods, the ratio is one book for every 300 children.*  And, price is the number one barrier to book ownership.

“Analysis of the most statistically accurate and comprehensive study of U.S. adult literacy ever conducted proves that 48.7 percent of U.S. adults are functionally illiterate, defined as being unable to hold an above-poverty-level-wage job. We believe illiteracy is a major source of economic destruction in this country and are determined to help fix the problem,” said Septimiu Pastiu, DMD, and Founder of Sewell Dental Arts.

A highlight of the event was the entertainment provided by a phenomenal high-energy trio of brothers AKNU (A Kind Never Understood) who flew in from Los Angeles to help with the fund raising. With astonishing moves and incredible vocal talent they performed original material and popular hits putting the gathering in high spirits for the live auction. The group was featured on X Factor and has just released an EP independently on Amazon and iTunes titled "A Kind Never Understood".

The hundreds of thousands of books raised during the event are going directly into the hands of young people in need through the Boys and Girls Clubs and the Young Adults Library Services Association.

GE Management Experts, Inc. located in St. Petersburg, FL, offers business and marketing training to the owners of dental practices. The training is based on the administrative technology of L. Ron Hubbard that is used in more than 100,000 companies and organizations across the globe to their benefit and prosperity.  

About Sewell Dental Arts:
Sewell Dental Arts is a full service family and cosmetic dentist specializing in general, cosmetic and restorative dentistry. Sewell Dental Arts provides a full range of services, including routine oral hygiene and cleanings, cosmetic and restorative procedures, dental implants, oral surgery and other advanced treatments.  Dr. Pastiu Septimiu and his team at Sewell Dental Arts offer meticulous, uncompromising, personalized services with attention to the needs of patients and their families.  For more information visit please visit our website at www.sewelldentalarts.com or call (856) 582-2220.

Sources:
*Neuman, Susan B. and David K. Dickinson, ed. Handbook of Early Literacy Research, Volume 2. New York, NY: 2006 - http://www.ifla.org/files/assets/libraries-for-children-and-ya/publications/Genco.pdf
Evans, M. D. R., et al. Family scholarly culture and educational success:  Books and schooling in 27 nations. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility (2010), doi:10.1016/j.rssm.2010.01.002 -  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0276562410000090