my centraljersy.com
By LEO D. ROMMEL
• Staff Writer
• December 25, 2008
SAYREVILLE —The original game plan for Dr. Bernhard Kabitze was to head to Chicago, attend a dental association meeting, then head home.
Instead, he capitalized on an opportunity to help hundreds of needy children on the other side of the globe.
The 40-year-old dentist, whose office is at 314 Ernston Road in Parlin, unexpectedly started a charity craze at that Chicago meeting two months ago, raising $67,387 in a matter of hours for A New Day Cambodia, a nonprofit organization that donates funds to Cambodia's "garbage-dump-scavenger" children.
Kabitze said he was hesitant to donate at first, but a presentation given at the meeting by Bill Smith, the creator of the aid organization, helped changed his mind.
"(Smith) did a presentation about his organization, and he used slides on a projector screen," Kabitze said. "(Smith) said that he and his wife have been going to Cambodia since 2002. They always took pictures of what they saw."
The photos that rotated on the screen moved Kabitze.
"(Smith) showed pictures of children living in horrible conditions, barely clothed, actually picking through a garbage dump to find materials that they could sell to make a little bit of money," said Kabitze, a dentist for 17 years. "This was how they were helping support their families."
After Smith told the audience that the children only made a few cents a day, Kabitze, a Piscataway resident, turned to the dentists to his left and his right and said something along the lines of, "I really feel bad for these kids. I feel compelled to give. This is for a very good cause. Even if I give a little, it's something."
Kabitze didn't know either of the dentists' names, but both seemed to listen.
"Then I guess one dentist turned to the dentist next to them and said something along the same lines," said Kabitze. "And then I guess that dentist turned to another dentist and so on."
Within four hours, the conference room inside the Hyatt Regency at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport had raised $67,387, Kabitze said.
"I don't want to take complete credit for the event, because it wasn't all me," Kabitze said. "But I guess I may have started the buzz around the room.
It's kind of like a dance. If one person gets up and dances, then another one gets up and dances, and so on and so on."
Kabitze said he will continue to attend the dental meeting each October. He said he was glad he made a difference at the last event.
"I think in the end, everyone (in the room) wanted to help those children get a better life; help clothe them and feed them," he said. "The kids here have opportunities that kids over there don't. Without (A New Day Cambodia), many of those kids may get no education at all."
Kabitze said that his office also is a contributor to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation and that during Dental Awareness Month in August, he visits local schools and speaks to children about the benefits of proper dental hygiene.
By LEO D. ROMMEL
• Staff Writer
• December 25, 2008
SAYREVILLE —The original game plan for Dr. Bernhard Kabitze was to head to Chicago, attend a dental association meeting, then head home.
Instead, he capitalized on an opportunity to help hundreds of needy children on the other side of the globe.
The 40-year-old dentist, whose office is at 314 Ernston Road in Parlin, unexpectedly started a charity craze at that Chicago meeting two months ago, raising $67,387 in a matter of hours for A New Day Cambodia, a nonprofit organization that donates funds to Cambodia's "garbage-dump-scavenger" children.
Kabitze said he was hesitant to donate at first, but a presentation given at the meeting by Bill Smith, the creator of the aid organization, helped changed his mind.
"(Smith) did a presentation about his organization, and he used slides on a projector screen," Kabitze said. "(Smith) said that he and his wife have been going to Cambodia since 2002. They always took pictures of what they saw."
The photos that rotated on the screen moved Kabitze.
"(Smith) showed pictures of children living in horrible conditions, barely clothed, actually picking through a garbage dump to find materials that they could sell to make a little bit of money," said Kabitze, a dentist for 17 years. "This was how they were helping support their families."
After Smith told the audience that the children only made a few cents a day, Kabitze, a Piscataway resident, turned to the dentists to his left and his right and said something along the lines of, "I really feel bad for these kids. I feel compelled to give. This is for a very good cause. Even if I give a little, it's something."
Kabitze didn't know either of the dentists' names, but both seemed to listen.
"Then I guess one dentist turned to the dentist next to them and said something along the same lines," said Kabitze. "And then I guess that dentist turned to another dentist and so on."
Within four hours, the conference room inside the Hyatt Regency at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport had raised $67,387, Kabitze said.
"I don't want to take complete credit for the event, because it wasn't all me," Kabitze said. "But I guess I may have started the buzz around the room.
It's kind of like a dance. If one person gets up and dances, then another one gets up and dances, and so on and so on."
Kabitze said he will continue to attend the dental meeting each October. He said he was glad he made a difference at the last event.
"I think in the end, everyone (in the room) wanted to help those children get a better life; help clothe them and feed them," he said. "The kids here have opportunities that kids over there don't. Without (A New Day Cambodia), many of those kids may get no education at all."
Kabitze said that his office also is a contributor to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation and that during Dental Awareness Month in August, he visits local schools and speaks to children about the benefits of proper dental hygiene.
Leo D. Rommel: 732-565-7296; lrommel@MyCentralJersey.com
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