In Central Florida and beyond, Fravel Brewer Orthodontics is a practice that believes in helping communities in any way possible.

In addition to prioritizing patient comfort and providing outstanding medical care, Fravel Brewer Orthodontics has always been known as a practice that supports a long list of causes and is willing to chip in whenever and wherever needed. Usually, that commitment to giving back to the community is on display right here in Central Florida—but it can happen on the other side of the globe, too.

For the past four years, Breck Brewer, D.D.S., M.S., and his family have financially sponsored orphaned and vulnerable children in Ethiopia through a program run by Haddis Ministries, a nonprofit in Winter Park. His twin daughters, Sadie and Claire, are also involved in a club at their high school that assists the organization’s efforts.

This summer, Dr. Brewer and his daughters were given the opportunity to join Haddis Ministries on a trip to Ethiopia so they could meet the children in the program and see firsthand the impact they’ve had—and the additional aid that is still needed.

“Just being there and supporting them was so special,” Dr. Brewer says. “We just wanted to let them know that someone cares for them, is praying for them and is helping to support them financially from across the world. It was such an incredible trip to see the impact that this is having on hundreds of kids. They couldn’t speak any English and we couldn’t speak Amharic, which is what they speak, but just seeing the joy on their faces from the attention and love that we brought was exceptional.”

Dr. Brewer has been all over the world from his time as a general dentist in the Army, but this was his first trip to Africa. He was even more grateful for his 18-year-old daughters to have the experience.

“The biggest thing for me was seeing them interact with these kids without any thought of bias or racial discrimination or economic discrimination,” he says. “They just jumped in and were holding kids’ hands, holding babies and playing with kids. I know it gave them such an incredible life experience that they can lean on, especially as they come back to a first-world nation with all of the convenience that the U.S. has to offer, because Ethiopia is a very, very poor place.”

Dr. Brewer also called on the practice’s patients to contribute, and to no one’s surprise, they delivered, ensuring that he and the group did not go empty-handed.

“We did a shoe drive and all of our patients brought in shoes, so we ended up bringing over 500 pairs of shoes for these kids to use,” he says. “We also brought shirts and some things they can use in school, like textbooks, microscopes and sporting equipment. It was nice to involve our community a little bit in this remarkable nonprofit. It’s not religiously affiliated, just human affiliated, and they provide hope. There are more children to sponsor if you go to their website, HaddisMinistries.org.”

Community service is nothing new to Fravel Brewer, which has been a longtime participant in the national Smile for a Lifetime program. Every year, the practice provides braces free of charge to six kids in need, who then pay it forward with service projects that benefit the community. Dr. Brewer encourages families to apply on either the practice’s or the Smile for a Lifetime website.

Additionally, the entire staff takes a day off work every year to volunteer at Second Harvest Food Bank. The practice also partners with the city of Ocoee to sponsor multiple 5K runs, holds food and clothing drives to support the Christian Service Center, and works with local schools to host field trips or speak at assemblies about the importance of dental health.

Dr. Brewer will also support causes that are meaningful to his employees.

“I’m always open to new ideas,” he says. “We have a team of 20 people, and they will often come with ideas of how we can support people. Recently, we’ve supported two other nonprofits—Eight Waves, which provides after-school care for children who are less fortunate, and Dreamplex, which is mostly for children but also adults who have mental challenges and need life skills. We try to partner with nonprofits as much as we can to support their mission, because if they’re giving to the community then we want to be part of it.”

That tradition began with William Fravel, D.M.D., when he founded the practice, and it has only been strengthened since Dr. Brewer joined about eight years ago.

“This is a busy medical practice, so we could just focus on straightening teeth,” he says. “I just feel like it’s such an important part of being a business owner, to give back to the community. To be honest, it’s fun. I find that the more you give to the community, the more you end up getting yourself. Volunteering and helping people who maybe aren’t expecting it, it just lifts you up and makes you feel good about what you’re doing. So we’ll continue to do it forever.”

Fravel Brewer Orthodontics
Ocoee
(407) 656-0001
FravelBrewer.com