Oct. 28--"You haven't truly lived until you're rendered a service for free that you are normally paid for." That is what Dr. Russell Nichols says is the driving force behind his volunteer service that earned him him the title "Southern Hero."

Nichols and his staff at Fresh Wave Dental Care in Enterprise were named a winner of the SouthernLINC Wireless "Southern Heroes" campaign. The award comes with a $2,009 donation to the recipient's favorite charity. Nichols chose Coffee County Family Services Center.

Nichols was one of two Alabama recipients of the honor that he received for giving free dental services to citizens who cannot afford dental care or insurance.

Nichols is a longtime board member of the Coffee County Family Services Center, Executive Director Judy Crawley said Monday. "He really is the driving force behind us being able to provide free dental care for children in this county."

Nichols recognized the need for greater access to dental services and took matters into his own hands, Crawley said. Free dental service for adults was not available. "Dr. Nichols just led the charge to make it happen."

He worked with the Family Services Center in Enterprise to set up a free dental services day in March, during which Fresh Wave Dental Care provided free dental services to local residents who could not afford dental insurance. Nichols and his staff saw a non-stop flow of patients, Crawley said. "Many of them had never even been to a dentist before."

Nichols encouraged his staff to volunteer for the screening day without compensation and nearly every employee donated time to the cause, he said. "One of the women we examined just kept saying 'thank you, thank you,'" he said. "That's when we all really got it."

Nichols serves as president of the Sunrise Rotary Club in Enterprise and his church is also the recipient of his spirit of volunteerism. "He exemplifies the term 'social responsibility'," Crawley said. "He is inspirational, he is remarkable."

That is true, said Marge Simmons about the man she calls "my very beloved friend and church brother." Simmons is the administrative support ministry leader at Johns Chapel AME Church and she called Nichols "a Christian gentleman who personifies the pleasant, gentle, loving and unruffled spirit that is so calming to his family and friends."

"He diligently seeks to make a positive difference in the lives of others, not for his own edification, but for the good of the individual and to glorify God," Simmons said. "He is passionate about encouraging and empowering youth and those who are in need."

At Johns Chapel AME, Nichols currently serves as steward, as a member of the stewardship and finance committee, Sunday School superintendent, president of the local lay organization, member of the men's choir, teacher of the men's Sunday School class, member of the church's Bible study class, and member of the church's health ministry.

Nichols' ministry includes working with youth, always emphasizing their worth and his belief that they can be all that they were created to be, Simmons said. "He backs up his words of encouragement with his resources of time, talent and treasure," she said. "Pastor Vernon McLeod and the Johns Chapel Family and community are blessed immensely by Dr. Nichols as he quietly goes about his mission work, smiling all the way with the legendary wide grin."

SouthernLINC Wireless created the Southern Heroes philanthropic endeavor to honor small businesses that "pay it forward" to their local community, company President and CEO Bob Dawson said in a press release.. "The Southern Heroes judging committee was wowed by the fact that Dr. Nichols encouraged his entire staff to volunteer for the screening day without compensation and nearly every employee donated his or her time to the cause."

"At a time when many of the South's small businesses are facing tremendous uncertainties, it is awe-inspiring to hear stories of local businesses continuing to give back to causes that matter to their employees and the communities at large,"Dawson said in the release. "We're honored to recognize a person that continues to 'pay it forward' to his community."

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