Meals, Clothing and Smiles

Dr. Romia Goff sees a lot of patients in his six Brevard County orthodontic offices. He believes this proximity to children and their families gives him insight into the needs of the communities he serves.

Through his company’s philanthropic arm, Kidz Klozet, Goff tries to meet the needs of not only the patients he sees, but other families in Brevard, too. Along with his wife, Dr. Lauren Lockhart who also works at Brilliant Smiles, Goff tries to serve the community he lives, plays and works in.

“My wife and I feel that one of the greatest gifts we have is to be able to serve our community, especially those in need,” Goff said. “We believe we should do everything we can for the youth in Brevard. There are so many challenges children face, and lack of food and clothing should not be included in those.”

An outreach of that program is Violette, the company’s “tooth fairy” who visits schools and talks to children in grades K to 2 about how to keep their teeth healthy and properly brushed. Violette also talks about the occupation of being an orthodontist and what type of education it entails.

“The kids love seeing the tooth fairy visit their school and they are receptive to learning more about how to take care of their teeth,” said Stacey Nemetz, director of the Kidz Klozet program. “Last year, the tooth fairy visited 18 elementary schools and educated 3,539 students about dental hygiene.”

The holiday season is an especially busy time for the charity arm of Goff’s practice. The Brilliant Smiles holiday meals outreach is heading into its fourth year of providing food to hundreds of local families each year. Goff developed the program after learning that 30,000 students are eligible for free lunch programs in Brevard public schools. Those children often do not have access to healthy meals over weekends and holiday breaks.

“No family should go without a Christmas meal. That is something I want to help avoid,” Goff said.

Last year, the holiday program donated 400 meals locally.

While several local Thanksgiving meal programs are in place and many toy drives take place around Christmas, Goff wanted to address the needs of families who may not have the means to provide a holiday meal.

The families chosen to receive holiday meals are nominated by guidance counselors and teachers within the school system. In the first three years of the holiday meal program, nearly 1,000 meals were provided to local families in need.

Brilliant Smiles manages its Kidz Klozet year round. The initiative provides undergarments, toiletries and gently worn clothing and shoes to children in Brevard who need the items.

Over the summer, Goff’s locations collected clothing, shoes and personal items to donate back to local families. The practice is planning a day where Brevard County students can come pick out the items they need.

Since schools are the place where Brevard children spend most of their time, Goff works in partnership with Brevard Public Schools to find families that are most in need of Brilliant Smiles’ donations.

Brilliant partnership

In 2017, Dr. Goff was named the Business Partner of the Year through the Partners in Education program of Brevard Public Schools. In May, Brilliant Smiles was inducted into the Brevard County Business Partners Hall of Fame.

Debra Foley works in community relations for BPS and specifically interacts with members of the Partners in Education program, which has over 700 partners who participate at different levels.

“Dr. Goff and his team support schools at such a remarkable level,” Foley said. “In addition to the individual programs that Brilliant Smiles oversees, Dr. Goff and his staff are a part of other community events.”

Foley says that Brilliant Smiles is a sponsor of Manatee Elementary’s Thinga-ma-jogger race in February and that Goff speaks at the Partners in Education kickoff fair for businesses that takes place at the beginning of each school year. He encourages other businesses to support local youth through giving, Foley says.

“It really is wonderful to see how much the community benefits from what Brilliant Smiles does,” Foley said.

A little more on Dr. Goff

A native of Jacksonville and father of Romia, Jr., Goff received his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the University of Florida College of Dentistry. He completed his Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Orthodontics from Jacksonville University’s School of Orthodontics.

“I have always been passionate about orthodontics and the impact it has on a patient's life,” Goff said. “It is inspiring to see these shy and timid individuals transform into their very best, all because of their smile.”

To learn more or to donate, visit http://brilliantsmilesorthodontics.com.