Local dentist helps homeless man smile again

By Beth Fisher

CREATED Mar. 15, 2013

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  • A local dentist is also stepping up to help homeless man Jimmy Francis. who is about to see his daughter for first time in 24 years. Video by ktnv.com

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  • Tonya Hallett paid for Jimmy's daughter to fly to Las Vegas to see her father.

  • Jim and Maria Snyder talk about why they decided to help homeless man Jimmy Francis.

  • A local dentist's office fixed Jimmy's smile for free before he meets his daughter again after 24 years.

  • A local dentist's office fixed Jimmy's smile for free before he meets his daughter again after 24 years.

  • A local dentist's office fixed Jimmy's smile for free before he meets his daughter again after 24 years.

  • A local dentist's office fixed Jimmy's smile for free before he meets his daughter again after 24 years.

  • Tonya Hallet talks about why she decided to help homeless man Jimmy Francis after seeing his story.

  • Tonya Hallet's father -- also homeless

  • Elite Transportation also stepped up to help Jimmy Francis see his daughter again. They volunteered to provide transportation to the airport for the reunion on March 15.

  • Here is Jimmy Francis on his way to the airport to be reunited with his daughter after 24 years.

  • Jim and Maria Snyder pose with Alan from Elite Transportation. Realtor Jim Snyder ran into Jimmy outside of a sandwich shop and decided to help him. That kicked off the search for Jimmy's daughter.

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Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- On Friday afternoon, a Las Vegas man will be reunited with his daughter that he hasn't seen her in 24 years. And a local dentist is making sure Jimmy Francis is ready to make a great first impression.

Dr. Cher Chang heard about Jimmy and wanted to help him. If you missed the story, a local realtor found him freezing on the sidewalk and took him home. 
 
That's when he discovered Jimmy was looking for his daughter Natalie and helped reunite the two on Facebook.
 
Friday afternoon, Natalie is flying to Las Vegas to meet her dad and he will be ready to smile.
 
Dr. Chang says, "We live in a society where a big smile, a nice smile makes a huge difference in somebody's confidence and how they represent themselves to the world. We thought it would be a nice thing to do."
 
One of our viewers paid for Natalie's plane ticket here and Jackie Valiente, owner of a local real estate company, is paying for a suite at a local hotel and food for all four days of Natalie's visit. 
 
Action News will be there for the reunion. Watch Good Morning Las Vegas on Monday morning to see the reunion.