Dr. Nile Scott, a Pueblo native and alumnus of Colorado State University-Pueblo, has been awarded with an honorary Kiwanis membership for his 30 years of discounted orthodontic treatment to the Pueblo community.
“He has a very successful practice and I’m just proud that he wants to give back to the community this way,” Kiwanis Foundation President Cora Zaletel said.
A Pueblo Central High School graduate, Scott received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Colorado State University-Pueblo in 1966.
Scott graduated from Creighton University School of Dentistry in 1970, achieving valedictorian honors. His son followed in his footsteps, attending both CSU-Pueblo and Creighton University.
“He (Scott) could have sent his son anywhere and he chose to send his son here (CSU-Pueblo),” Zaletel said. “That’s the cool thing about them; they’re a father-son team who are both orthodontists.”
During his 30 years of service, Scott’s discounted orthodontic treatments total more than $100,000, Zaletel said.
Scott said he believes his introduction into the program was very simple.
“I was approached by members of the Kiwanis Foundation,” Scott said. “They asked if I would be a part of their program and of course I said ‘yes.’”
The Kiwanis Club of Pueblo has contributed more than $300,000 to more than 250 low-income or disadvantaged children that need substantial dental work, Zaletel said, such as having a broken jaw reset.
Zaletel said she believes Scott’s contributions stem from his passion to better the lives of young children.
“He just seems like an honestly good person and generous,” Zaletel said. “You know, one, he doesn’t have to discount his services, but two, (he) doesn’t have to spend all the time reviewing the records so that we can feel satisfied that we can spend our money on these students.”
Zaletel refers to the money spent on students that the Kiwanis orthodontia program have identified, reached an agreement with and finally treated. Scott has treated about 80 percent of Kiwanis’ patients during his three decades of time with the organization.
At the weekly meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Pueblo on Sept. 16, Scott let his emotions flow and showed the affection and dedication he has for his work while maintaining sincerity, Zaletel said.
“He got really choked up,” Zaletel said. “He said, ‘this is my life, this is what I do. I don’t expect anybody to give me anything back for it.’”
When asked about the special honor given to him, Scott replied, “It was a very special and great honor. I am very grateful to receive it.”
Kiwanis is an international service organization that began in 1915, whose message is to serve children by bettering the lives of children and their communities, Zaletel said.
Since the start of the Kiwanis Club of Pueblo in 1921, the organization has only served Pueblo County, and has maintained the same message and goals as its international counterpart.
“Our orthodontia program is one way that we can make a huge difference in the lives of certain kids,” Zaletel said. “We look for kids who need really significant dental work but also who have significant need.”
The Kiwanis Club of Pueblo also hosts other events such as “Rake up Pueblo” and “Operation Paintbrush,” and “Safe Street Halloween,” which occurs on the CSU-Pueblo campus.
