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Fabio Castelblanco
2/9/2015
Eng. 206-01
Word Count: 402
Contact info: [email protected]
Give Kids a Smile Day
Dental Clinic faculty workers Lynn Tobin and Hope Holbeck are co-coordinators for Give Kids a Smile Day at L’Hommedieu Hall, Room 164 on Feb. 6th to provide free dental care to children in families without insurance by treating the children with volunteer dental hygienists and volunteer dentists with various forms of dental care.
This is a yearly event which occurs on the first Friday of the month of Feb. It is a nationwide event with dental clinics on several colleges across the country participating. It began with “[A group of] oriented dental professionals with the dedication of a multitude of volunteers and supporters in St. Louis, Missouri … the first Give Kids a Smile (GKAS) [was launched] to provide underserved children with free, comprehensive dental care, including examinations, professional cleanings, fluoride treatments, sealants, restorations, oral surgery and x-rays.” http://givekidsasmile.org/
This year marks the 12th year overall that this event has happened, but the 11th year for Middlesex County College according to coordinator and chairman of GKAS at the College Hope Holbeck. While the volunteer dental hygienists and the volunteer dentists provide most of the dental work, Hope Holbeck states that students apart of the dental hygiene program at Middlesex also participate. The freshmen donate food, balloons, and their dental instruments for the day. The sophomores teach the children about maintaining healthy teeth with the use of puppets, books, and short videos. A majority of the volunteer dental hygienists were a part of the dental program at the College, so this event is also a reunion for those once a part of the program.
In previous years the College has used approximately $50,000 worth of dental care to children between the ages of 3 and 12. According to Lynn Tobin, there were about 60 children scheduled to attend GKAS. As the years have gone by the College has become more efficient in treating these children, and it looks to only improve in the future.
Hope Holbeck on the day of the event said, “It’s a very gratifying day. All the dentists come in to take time out of their day to help out. It’s always wonderful to see children who leave smiling after their dental surgery, because now they have more confidence in themselves and their teeth,”
For more information on the event see: http://givekidsasmile.org/
To set an appointmet for the Dental Hygiene Clinic on campus call: 732-906-2536
