The Appalachian Highlands Community Dental Center is offering dental care for those who can't afford it in Abingdon, Virginia. The facility is funded, in part, from fundraising work with the associated fundraising organization Appalachian Highlands Community Dental Charities.

Rachel Helton leads the fundraising work and describes the organization in this program and she introduces her summer intern Teddy Pillion.

The Dental Center has 21 treatment facilities and has served thousands of people, but still faces a waiting list of more than three thousand people. Resident dentists can help those who need cleanings, crowns, bridges, dentures, fillings and more.

For those who need dental care and think they can't afford it, call 276-525-4487.

For those who would like to contribute to the work, call Rachel Helton at 276-275-1063.

For more information, https://appalachiandentalcharities.org/

Ann Ledgerwood is the guest in this episode of This Conversation and we learn about her passion in volunteering to help those who are dealing with addiction. Ann's work as a volunteer helped launch the program that established the treatment facility for women in Abingdon, Va. in 2023.

The 70 bed facility is part of a larger system that serves men and women in several area locations. The program is paid for by Medicaid and supplemented by donations and volunteer work.

For people who want to know more and may know someone who needs this kind of help, more information is available through Fairview Housing, the nonprofit group that oversees the programs. Here is a link that includes a short video featuring women in the Abingdon facility.

https://fairviewhousing.org/programs/mended-women-recovery/

To reach Mended Women Lifestyle recovery, call 276.451.3996

More information about similar programs for men, including a facility in Bristol, Virginia, is available at fairviewhousing.org.

In a previous series on This Conversation, we talked with two people who could have benefitted from a program like these lifestyle recovery centers. Here are two of those interviews.

I’m Jessica. I’m an addict:

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/ac5f351c-0d5d-4da3-8931-6e72aad6711e/

I’m Bo and I’m an addict:

https://player.captivate.fm/episode/e4bd1213-e9d0-4525-b217-2220eb9090f2/

In this episode we talk with actor Amy Baldwin, now performing in two shows at Barter Theatre for the summer repertory.

Amy introduces us to Marlafaye, her character in the comedy romp Savannah Sipping Society and previews her upcoming role in the theatre's summer musical Guys and Dolls, both running through the first week in August. Then, she is scheduled to perform in Come from Away in September, the story of airline passengers who became stranded in Newfoundland after the 9/11 attacks.

Amy is a graduate of Emory & Henry University but did not appear on stage or take classes in the theatre department there. The story of her first acting role at the age of 27 and what she gave up to do it ranks as both unusual and improbable.

In this interview, you'll learn how Equity Union status affects Barter Theatre and its staff.

It's a profile of an actor. Amy Baldwin.