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Newport Car Museum Donates Mini Electric Car
to Samuels Sinclair Dental Center
Battery-operated Vehicle is the Second to be Gifted by the Museum in Order for Young Patients to “Drive” to Exam Rooms
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (November 28, 2018) – Young patients at the Samuels Sinclair Dental Center in Providence now can make a grand entrance for their appointments thanks to the donation of a mini electric car by the Newport Car Museum, located in Portsmouth, R.I. On Monday, November 26, museum representatives made a special visit to the center to deliver the pink Henes Broon F830 so its patients can “drive” themselves to an exam room for their appointment.
During the presentation of the car, Celia Furtado, age 8, of Cranston, and a longtime patient of the dental center, was all smiles as the first to sit behind the wheel.
Celia Furtado, 8, of Cranston, R.I. gives a smile of approval as she checks out the mini electric car donated to the Samuels Sinclair Dental Center by the Newport Car Museum on November 26. (photos courtesy Hasbro Children’s Hospital)
“Much like going to the hospital, we know a trip to the dentist can lead to nervousness for many children,” said Margaret M. Van Bree, MHA, DrPH, president of Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital. “That our dental center now has this amazing ride-on vehicle available to patients will no doubt result in wide smiles and less anxiety as kids drive down its hallways. We are beyond grateful to the Newport Car Museum for both its generosity and understanding the extras that make a big difference for patients.”
The November donation is the second battery-operated vehicle gifted by the Newport Car Museum this Fall to help kids. In September, the Museum donated a red mini electric car to Hasbro Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Rehabilitation Center. Both cars feature an integrated tablet PC smart system.
“We are fortunate to have Hasbro Children’s Hospital in our state and we wanted to give back in appreciation of all they do for our community, including providing dental services for so many families,” said Newport Car Museum’s Vincent Moretti. “When people visit the Newport Car Museum, they put aside whatever is happening in their lives to spend time enjoying the art of the car. We wanted to foster that same feeling in kids – that with the mini electric cars, they’d be thinking about driving, instead of being at the dentist’s office or in the hospital.”
The electric ride-on vehicles were purchased to bring smiles to children from funds raised through the museum’s Fast Five raffle event. Leading up to its September showing of Fast Five– the fifth installment in The Fast and the Furious movie series – the museum sold raffle tickets to members of the community for a chance to ride to lunch with the museum founders in the Ford GT40 used in the film’s famous train heist scene. The blue Ford muscle car is a recent addition to the museum’s impressive collection.
A program of Rhode Island Hospital and founded in 1931, the Samuels Sinclair Dental Center ensures that children whose parents cannot afford to pay are provided with dental care. In addition to providing dental care to children, the center is the primary dental provider for patients of all ages with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities in the region.
Left to right (back row): Margaret M. Van Bree, MHA, DrPH, President of Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital; Vincent Moretti, Newport Car Museum; Elizabeth G. Benz, DMD, Director of the Samuels Sinclair Dental Center; and Kathryn Furtado; Front: Celia Furtado. (photos courtesy Hasbro Children’s Hospital)
More About Newport Car Museum
Housed in a 114,000 sq. ft. building in Portsmouth, R.I., the Newport Car Museum features 70+ cars exhibited in six galleries (Ford Shelby, Corvettes, World Cars, Fin Cars, Mopars, American Muscle “Then & Now”) that represent seven decades of automotive design, starting with the 1950s to the present. There are no barrier ropes around the cars and plenty of docents to help answer questions and enhance the experience, which includes educational videos, eight driving simulators, and a collection of Mid-Century modern furniture integrated into spacious, inspiring surroundings. The Newport Car Museum was named to USA’s “Top 10 Best New Attractions” in America (2017) and named “Best Specialty Museum” by Yankee Magazine Travel Guide to New England (2018).
Newport Car Museum is handicap accessible and hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Sunday. Tickets can be bought at the door or online at www.newportcarmuseum.org where more information and directions are available.
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The Newport Car Museum’s 114,000 sq. ft. building was once a missile manufacturing facility. It is now home to a 70+ car collection that spans seven decades of automotive design.
(photo courtesy Newport Car Museum)
Editorial-free photos available in high resolution by clicking image above
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