“It’s been a great ride,” she says. “We feel passionate to help the community that helped us.” One of the ways Dr. Garces helps is by providing dental care to people who can’t pay for it. Many of these patients have serious tooth decay and gum disease. Dr. Garces sometimes arranges for children to be treated in a hospital. They have such extensive dental problems that they need to be put to sleep with anesthesia while the work is done, she says. On most Fridays, Dr. Garces sees patients who otherwise could not afford the full cost of a visit. Four times a year, she opens her office on Saturdays so people can be tested for diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. They can also receive dental checkups. Although The Garces Family Foundation has existed just since 2012, it already pays for an after-school program for 70 immigrant children. The children receive nutritious snacks and tutoring in reading, writing, and math. They also will be able to go to camp during the summer, Dr. Garces says. She and her husband help make the community healthier in another way: They own a farm in Bucks County that city children can visit to learn about healthy eating, planting, and harvesting. Children soon will be able to take yoga and cooking classes there as well. Beatriz Garces, D.M.D. Dental care for immigrants helps community Dr. Beatriz Garces is dedicated to helping children and their families who came to the Philadelphia area from another country. She provides free and low-cost dental care to people who can’t afford it. With her husband— well-known chef Jose Garces—she also started a foundation that will give money to education and health programs that serve immigrants in the Philadelphia area. She says immigrants work hard. “We want to give back to them,” says Dr. Garces, who received her dental degree at Temple University and serves as a part-time instructor in the dental school. Dr. Garces grew up in Cuba. Her husband is from Chicago, but his parents were born in Ecuador. Beatriz and Jose met in a Philadelphia restaurant where he worked as a chef and she was a server. She was earning money to pay her way through dental school. They both worked their way up, she says.