Dentist is driven to give

Tracy Brigden was 10 years old in 1970 when his parents rocked his world.

In search of a better life, they moved the family from Tracy's childhood home in Blackpool, England, across the globe to Bellevue.

“It was incredibly traumatic,” said Brigden, now 50. “You leave everything you've ever known, and coming here was very different.”

He now lives his version of the American dream, though, as a successful Omaha dentist.

And grateful for the opportunities he was afforded, he feels compelled to give back. That's why he runs charity drives at his west Omaha practice, Legacy Dental. Brigden collects candy at Halloween, food at Thanksgiving and toys at Christmas.

Turning 50 made him take stock of what he's done and what he wants to do.

He also recognizes the increased level of need in the community.

“Even when things are good, there is still a huge need,” he said. “It's heightened right now, but it's always there.”

The candy drive, which paid kids $1 for every pound of candy they gave up, brought in more than 200 pounds of candy, Brigden said.

He gave that to Operation Gratitude, a nonprofit that ships care packages to troops overseas.

The food drive at Thanksgiving and toy drive at Christmas were held in-house, and the collections came only from what patients and staff could donate.

“Our patients are pretty generous people,” Brigden said.

And while he doesn't have totals, these drives were so successful he plans to collect from the larger community in years to come.

It isn't just donation drives, though, for Brigden. He also spends an hour a week mentoring a middle-school student through the Teammates program.

“We meet once a week to talk about whatever he wants to talk about, play games like Scrabble or whatever,” Brigden said. “I'm just there to be a positive influence and role model in his life. The program allows these kids to see that hard work and perseverance really does pay off.”

Brigden isn't stopping at a few charity drives around the holidays. Plans are in the works for more. One idea: Have kids nominate themselves when they do a good deed for another with a prize as bait. Another idea: Send pre-paid talk time to troops.

Contact the writer:

444-1264, kenton.krueger@owh.com