In June 2014, a peer and I had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer in a huge community outreach called Mission of Mercy. Mission of Mercy is a non-profit organization founded in 1994 and has been providing free healthcare, free dental care and free prescription medications. During this weekend long event, we assisted dentists and hygienists, and most importantly educated patients on proper home-care techniques. I was astonished at how many underserved citizens there actually are in our own state, let alone country. It was extremely rewarding to see the patients appreciation that so many health care professionals took time out of their busy schedules to provide free care to thousands. It was a truly humbling experience and even though I was a student at the time, I felt I was a crucial member of the team. I look forward to working with Mission of Mercy again in the future, but this time as a Registered Dental Hygienist !

During our fourth and last semester of the program my piers and I had an opportunity to contribute to the community. Our professor collaborated with Head Start, which is a program that promotes the school readiness of young children from low-income families through agencies in their local community. We provided dental screenings and applied fluoride varnish on all of the children.