HALLOWEEN 2013: Kids Can Exchange Candy for Equal Weight of Pennies

We Care Dental staff in Rancho Mirage intend to offer kids a chance to exchange candy for an equivalent weight of pennies on Friday, a rep for the center announced Monday.

"For every pound of candy children turn into us, we will pay them a pound of pennies," Dr. Melvyn Glick, dental director of the We Care Dental Center, said in a statement.

A Brink's truck is expected from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 1 at We Care Dental, "which provides free and low-cost dental services to developmentally disabled people, veterans and seniors on fixed incomes," according to the statement.

We Care Dental is going to offer children across the Coachella Valley the chance to cash in their Halloween candy for cold, hard cash, according to event organizers.

Staff at We Care will be dressed in costumes for the event and will be joined by Sugarless the Clown, organizers said. Attendees will also get a cchance to spin the wheel of fortune and win prizes.

Glick has organized similar candy exchange events when he practiced in San Jose, organizers said. Friday's event is the first of its kind in the Coachella Valley

"Kids aren't going to turn in every piece of candy," Glick said. "But we hope to collect a lot of it and encourage them to take care of their teeth."

Glick said he hopes to make Friday's candy exchange an annual event.

We Care Dental Center is at 42-900 Bob Hope Drive, Suite 111, behind the Rancho Las Palmas Shopping Center. We Care Dental Center was established two years ago by Desert Friends of the Developmentally Disabled, a non-profit organization headquartered in Rancho Mirage.

More than 1,300 patients are currently served through We Care Dental, which utilizes volunteer dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants to provide free services to developmentally disabled children and adults as well as low-cost services to seniors and veterans on fixed incomes, according to center officials.

For more info about We Care Dental Center visit www.dfdd.org.