Celebrating 25 years

Building healthier Arizona communities through oral healthcare

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The Brighter Way journey

From a flicker of light to a bright beacon.

One dentist, a field beside a homeless shelter, and a conviction that every person deserves outstanding care became a transformational model for community health.

Begin the story Explore the timeline
2001
First patient served
25 years
Approaching a milestone
$200M+
Value of community care by 2022
A Brighter Way dentist caring for a young patient
Transforming more than smilesCompassionate care has always been at the heart of Brighter Way.

From a flicker of light in a field

Where purpose took root.

The Brighter Way Story begins with Dr. Kris Volcheck, a young dentist who graduated from Emory University Dental School in Atlanta in 1985. After nine years as a private practice dentist in Globe, Arizona, and completing his MBA at ASU, Kris knew he had to leave private dentistry for a more meaningful purpose.

By chance, he met Mary Orton, the Executive Director of CASS homeless shelter. Sensing Kris was a bit lost, Mary suggested he volunteer and soon he was at their front door. Because of fear, on his first day of volunteering, he did not get out of his car for 30 minutes.

Through two years of volunteering, Kris entered the most transformative period of his life. After being hired as a full-time case manager working out of a trailer, Kris spent the next seven years with the unhoused on the streets, in a field, and by riverbeds.

This experience has informed Brighter Way's mission ever since. Kris had found his meaning.

A two-chair trailer in a field became the first dental home for people who had nowhere else to turn.

To a bright beacon

Professional skill became purposeful action.

After years working with the unhoused and seeing devastating dental disease, Kris decided to use his professional skills and took action to help transform lives. At the end of 1999, Kris began preparations to open a dental clinic for individuals experiencing homelessness.

With the full support of CASS CEO Mark Holleran, Kris procured an Arizona Office of Oral Health two-chair dental trailer and placed it in the field next to the case management trailer. On January 1, 2001, with his assistant Cindy Rossey and 55 volunteers, the CASS Dental Center for the Homeless became a reality.

Bringing life to his vision, the first patient was appropriately a homeless Vietnam Veteran. From these humble beginnings, the story of Brighter Way Institute begins.

First patientA Vietnam Veteran

Restored health and hope shaped a beacon that still lives in the Brighter Way logo.

A smiling World War II and Korean War veteran wearing his service cap

Founder's message

See patients for who they can become.

“Provide the best and most comprehensive care possible to our patients.”

In 2001, in a small trailer in a field, with only two dental chairs, the Brighter Way “team of two” provided oral health services to our first patient—a homeless Veteran. We restored joy and hope to a broken, lonely man who had served his country. His story touched our hearts and became a beacon of light and hope with a legacy in the Brighter Way logo.

At that time, I was driven to help homeless individuals transform more than their smiles. I wanted to see my patients for who they could become and how I could help them get there. The Campus itself became part of the solution, where nonprofit human service agencies could engage in meaningful collaborations and oral healthcare could be so much more than simply dental care.

Now, we are 23 years from the trailer in a field. Even then, with little experience, I had one mantra that I have held onto since our inception: provide the best and most comprehensive care possible to our patients. So here we are—a thriving, dynamic, innovative, state-of-the-art institute. That description sounds impressive. However, the only thing that matters is what it means to our patients: comprehensive care that spans services from cleanings all the way to maxillofacial surgery that restores full function and esthetics.

I personally never imagined that the mantra would help us rise to this elevated position for our patients. Growth took serious resources, persistence, and opportunity. It took a devoted team of volunteer oral health professionals and the trust of community philanthropists who could see beyond a dental trailer in a field. As collaborations grew, the Brighter Way beacon of light grew through national and international collaborations.

Here you'll get a better picture of our patients, our dental centers, and our community. You'll see the story of our milestones, our awards, and the unique recognition we have earned not only in our local community but nationally. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about our history and what we do as a nonprofit oral health institute for people of all ages.

Timeline

The history of Brighter Way Institute.

Explore 15 milestones across three eras. Choose an era or jump directly to a year.

Showing 15 milestones
012001

Milestone · 2001

A dental clinic for people experiencing homelessness opens.

  • After securing an Arizona Office of Oral Health two-chair dental trailer, the CASS Dental Clinic for the Homeless opens with 20 volunteer dentists, 15 hygienists, and 20 dental labs.
  • The clinic helps transform the lives of 1,142 homeless adults and 103 children who had no other resources for dental care.
022005

Milestone · 2005

The clinic grows from two chairs to eight.

  • The Dental Clinic moves from the two-chair trailer into an eight-chair, high-tech clinic.
  • The volunteer team grows to 280 dental professionals.
032008

Milestone · 2008

A new answer for children with severe dental disease.

  • As dental services expanded, volunteers were unable to address the severe dental disease of children experiencing poverty and homelessness. The answer was a new dental program for children from Vista Colina.
042010

Milestone · 2010

The Murphy Kids Dental Clinic opens.

  • With funding from the Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation and in partnership with the Murphy Elementary School District Health and Education Center, the Murphy Kids Dental Clinic opens.
052012

Milestone · 2012

Training creates a pathway for survivors.

  • In partnership with the Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation, an accredited dental assisting program for domestic violence victims opens.
062014

Milestone · 2014

Pediatric dentistry and residency programs expand.

  • The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation funds the opening of The Bob & Renee Parsons Center for Pediatric Dentistry at the Murphy Kids Dental Clinic.
  • In partnership with NYU/Langone University, The Parsons Center Pediatric Residency Program opens.
072016

Milestone · 2016

Brighter Way Institute becomes an independent nonprofit.

  • On July 1, Brighter Way Institute is incorporated as a nonprofit 501(c)(3).
  • In March, Brighter Way collaborates with Canyon State Academy to open a Dental Center for Foster Children.
  • Brighter Way opens the first nonprofit implantology and surgery training center program in the nation.
082017
Dental professionals and a veteran celebrate collaborative implant care at Brighter Way Institute

Milestone · 2017

Collaboration and innovation earn recognition.

  • Brighter Way forms a partnership with ClearChoice Implant Centers.
  • Brighter Way Institute receives the Eide Bailly Industry Resourcefulness Award.
092018

Milestone · 2018

Mobile care reaches the community.

  • A Brighter Way and UnitedHealthcare partnership forms after UnitedHealthcare donates a state-of-the-art mobile dental center.
  • Brighter Way Institute receives the Ed Stihls National Award for Innovation in Dentistry.
102019

Milestone · 2019

One million community procedures.

  • Brighter Way enters into a contract with Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Phoenix to manage its dental clinic.
  • The Brighter Way and UnitedHealthcare Mobile Center begins visiting every Metro Phoenix Boys & Girls Club.
  • Brighter Way reaches the milestone of one million oral health procedures provided in the community.
112021
Dr. Kris Volcheck reacts during Brighter Way Institute's 20th anniversary celebration

Milestone · 2021

Twenty years of transforming more than smiles.

  • Brighter Way celebrates its 20-year milestone of “Transforming More Than Smiles.”
  • The Brighter Way Governing Board establishes The Brighter Way Endowment.
122022
Photo: Dana Gibbons

Milestone · 2022

A growing center for advanced care.

  • Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation Brighter Way Dental Center becomes the new name of the flagship downtown center.
  • Brighter Way enters into an Implant Residency partnership with Jacksonville University.
  • Thunderbirds Charities Institute for Implantology is named.
  • Brighter Way exceeds the $200 million milestone in the value of oral health services provided in the community.
132023

Milestone · 2023

The Tooth Bus earns its name.

  • On November 10, 11-year-old Leah is recognized for her winning entry naming Brighter Way’s mobile dental center. “Tooth Bus” reaches 2,671 individuals in 2023.
  • The Thunderbirds Charities Institute for Implantology welcomes its second resident on July 1 through the Jacksonville University partnership.
  • The Brighter Way Endowment reaches a $125,000 milestone.
142024
Photo: Dana Gibbons

Milestone · 2024

Investment in the next chapter.

  • Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust provides capital support for a new surgical suite.
  • Kris Volcheck is honored with a Piper Fellowship.
  • The pediatric dental center is renamed The Bob & Renee Parsons Center for Pediatric Dentistry.
152025
Photo: Dana Gibbons

Milestone · 2025

New surgical suites and a transformational gift.

  • An April 11 dedication event celebrates three new surgical suites.
  • The Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation makes a $5 million donation to Brighter Way’s Downtown Dental Center.

In memoriam

Edmund H. Portnoy, PhD

Long-time Board Member and Honorary Founder of The Brighter Way Endowment.

Guests at the Edmund H. Portnoy memorial dedication viewing his commemorative portrait
The Edmund H. Portnoy memorial dedicationPhoto: Dana Gibbons

With gratitude, Brighter Way remembers Ed as a joyous, kind-hearted champion of human-services philanthropy. His compassion, service, and belief in brighter possibilities continue through the people and mission he helped strengthen.

The Brighter Way Endowment carries Ed's everlasting spirit forward by helping sustain transformational oral healthcare for future generations.

Honor Ed's legacy

The story continues

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