With Veterans Day three weeks away, various places around the county are putting together events to honor those who have served and sacrificed for the United States of America. One of those places is Moore Dental, located next to Kroger Marketplace in Lewis Center, which will offer free services to any veteran on Monday, Nov. 12, as part of its “Veterans Appreciation Day.”

Owner Dr. Cliff Moore served as a dental officer in the United States Navy for four years before moving back to central Ohio with his wife, Katie, who grew up in Worthington. Moore, who opened his practice in the summer of 2015, said he wanted to “be a big part of the community that we have a dental practice in, but also find a way to give back to and continue to serve veterans.”

Moore is part of the Olentangy Military Family Committee (OMFC), which was formed to provide a resource for the community’s military families. In years past, Moore has worked with Delaware County Veterans Services to find one veteran in need of dental services and provide free work for him or her.

Moore said the office needed to establish itself for a couple years before expanding its outreach with events such as the appreciation day, and after seeing the need in Delaware County, the office wanted to get more involved in the community’s veteran presence to help as many people as possible.

“Rather than take a few hours to help one person, we can take a whole day and help several people,” he said.

The event is aimed toward providing help for uninsured and in-need veterans, but all veterans are welcome to receive free care as part of the event. Services that will be provided include cleaning, filling or extraction.

Moore added he hopes an event such as this will encourage other local businesses and offices to follow suit.

“There are a lot of small business owners here in Lewis Center, and they’re usually local business owners, not big, national chains,” he said. “Other small businesses could see this and say, ‘I could do this, too,’ whatever it may be. Other people could do this, whether it’s health care, retail, or just finding other ways to help support veterans in our community.”

Moore praised the Olentangy community, particularly the Olentangy Local School District, for the way it has rallied around its military community with events like the military appreciation night at an Olentangy Orange High School football game, and the first-ever military signing days held at Orange and Olentangy Liberty high schools this past spring.

“I want to be a part of this community for the next 30 to 40 years. If I can set an example as a small, veteran-owned business, and have other businesses do the same, that would be great for this community,” Moore said.

Veterans who would like to schedule their appointment for free care on Nov. 12 can call Moore Dental at 740-548-5100.