Smiles of Katy Honored with Katy Proud Business Award

By George Slaughter

Keep Katy Beautiful presented Smiles of Katy, 1419 Avenue D, the Katy Proud Business Award Monday at city hall. Pictured are Jacalyn Warner, Sandy Schmidt, Jennifer Stence, Mayor Chuck Brawner, Joe Mora, Dr. Dolores Mora, Sharon Rhoads, Kathy Wiesner, Paula Taylor and Kay Callender (City of Katy photo)

Dr. Delores Mora and her team at Smiles of Katy, 1419 Avenue D, received the Katy Proud Business Award from Keep Katy Beautiful Monday.

One might say that they had a little help from its friends to get there.

Last year, Mora and her team were about to move into a new building behind the original building on the one-acre site. A growing practice and a desire to rebrand necessitated the move. The new building would have 10 chairs and be better able to serve patients.

The original building had three chairs and was to be demolished when the move was complete.

Chairs and equipment were installed in the new building. Boxes with patient files and personal belongings of staff members were in the new building, albeit on the floor, awaiting unpacking. Everything was just about ready to go.

“We were still working and practicing in the front building,” Mora said.

Then Hurricane Harvey came along and provided an unwanted disruption. The new building had six inches of floodwater.

“I was just devastated,” Mora said. “All 10 chairs in the new building were laying on the floor in a flat position. I knew the motherboard had been fried. It was just an overwhelming sense of devastation. Everything we had put in the week prior was all destroyed and wet.”

Meanwhile, the original building suffered “100% devastation,” Mora said, with up to two feet of flooding in some spots.

Both buildings needed significant work. The construction crew for the new building repaired it.

Fixing the original building was another story.

“All the equipment was destroyed,” Mora said. “We immediately had to replace those chairs to continue to be able to see patients. We pulled carpet and remodeled the original building as quickly as possible.”

She got help for repairing the original building from patients, Katy residents, and her fellow church members. She and her family are members of two churches, First Baptist Church Katy and Hope Church.

“We’re very active in both churches,” Mora said. “They were all there helping us tear walls down and pull out carpets.”

Mora said it took 3-4 weeks to get the original building in working condition. All the rework paid off. Smiles of Katy works today out of the new building, which is fully operational. The original building was demolished as planned.

Mora thanked the people of Katy for their support as Smiles of Katy rebuilt and moved forward. She said she hoped to give back to the community as it has given to her and Smiles of Katy.

“We’re always here, anytime,” Mora said.