September 10, 2007
SmilesForever is proud to announce an inter-institutional agreement with the Cochabamba Society of Implantology to provide dental implants to 12 needy older citizens of Cochabamba. The name of this project is “Implantando Sonrisas” (Implanting Smiles), and was ratified at a dinner held by the Cochabamba Society of Implantology on September 4th of this year. As part of the project (which also involves the dental implant company MIS and a local Cochabamba laboratory) SmilesForever will cover a large part of the costs of acquiring the implants, will complete a pre-selection of candidates, will provide all dental-hygiene related services to the beneficiaries, and will observe/assist during the implant surgeries/procedures. The Cochabamba Society of Implantology will complete an in-depth final selection of candidates, perform the surgeries/implant procedures, and will provide follow up implant maintenance for the beneficiares for life. SmilesForever is excited for the opportunity to work with this respected Cochabamba society and to provide an important service to a needy group of Cochabamba citizens. We are also pleased to be working with dentists who have, and will continue to, contract our graduated students to work as dental hygienists. Some pictures of the agreement-signing dinner are below. (above (left to right), the vice-president of the Society of Implantology, the president of the Society of Implantology (Dr. Pablo Guzmán), the founder and executive director of Smiles Forever (Sandy Kemper), and the legal representative for Smiles Forever (Alejandro Beckrich) pose for a picture after the signing of the agreement).
(Alejandro Beckrich signs the agreement while Founder Sandy Kemper smiles forever)
(all parties contribuiting to the project “Implanting Smiles” pose for a picture)
(representing SmilesForever at the dinner were (top left to bottom right) James Rider, Operations Coordinator, Dr. Patricia Ricci, Instructor, Alejandro Beckrich, Legal Rep, Ashley Chanadiri, US volunteer, Sandy Kemper, Founder & Exec. Director, and Dr. Sharon Golightly, US volunteer)
September 10, 2007
August 27th and 28th SmilesForever students, staff, and various US volunteers traveled to the tiny village of Corani Pampa (see map in previous post) to carry out what has become a yearly community service project for the SmilesForever Foundation. This year our work in Corani Pampa was composed of 3 different stages: educating the schoolchildren of Corani Pampa about proper brushing and general dental hygiene techniques, reinforcing that education by having the children practice with toothbrushes and toothpastes donated by the SmilesForever Foundation, and applying a flouride varnish to every child’s teeth. We also took a DMF statistic in order to better evaluate the dental condition of the Corani Pampa population. Our plan is for Corani Pampa to become to main community service project directed by our students. We also hope to return much more frequently to ensure that our efforts there aren’t wasted. We applaud the efforts of all our students, our graduated student coordinators, our staff, and the American Volunteers who lent their expertise and time to this project. We also appreciate that trust and good will of the Corani Pampa community. Thanks! (above, SF student Silvia Nina Condori helps a child practice proper brushing techniques)
(SF student Rosalia Nina Condori, Dr. Elizabeth Aviles, and graduated SF student coordinator Jhenny Vargas teach proper brushing techniques to a classroom of children)
(US volunteers Becky Wagner and Sheila Quentin take a DMF statistic)
(US volunteer Ashley Chanadiri and Dr. Patricia Ricci take a DMF statistic)
(SmilesForever graduate Sonia Sayari applies flouride varnish)
(our students and student coordinators plan the day’s work over breakfast)
September 9, 2007
On Saturday August 25th, SmilesForever and the Periodontics Society of Cochabamba sponsored a presentation by Dr. Sharon Golightly (center left), former director of the dental hygiene program at Pierce Community College. Dr. Golightly’s presentation included a lecture (theory) and practical presentation with patient on some of the new tools and techniques available for periodontists and perio patients. SmilesForever thanks Dr. Golightly and student Ashley Chanadiri (a dental hygiene student at Shoreline Community College who assisted Dr. Golightly during the practical portion of the presentation) for a job well done. Dr. Claudia Guzmán translated. See more pictures below.
August 13, 2007
We’d like to announce that at the end of August Smiles Forever will welcome 4 American volunteers (Sharon Golightly, Becky Wagner, Sheila Quentin (left), and Ashley Coon(right)) who will be working with us here in Cochabamba for a little bit.
One of the many activities we have planned for them during their stay is a community service trip to they tiny rural village of Corani Pampa (about a three hour drive from the city of Cochabamba (see map)).
Our students will be taking the lead in providing flouride varnish treatments to the children and adults of that community. Our students will also be giving educational talks on proper dental hygiene care. The experience of these volunteers is invaluable for our students as we try to introduce the important career of dental hygienistry into Bolivian society (where it does not exist). We thank them in adavance and anxiously await their arrival!
For more information contact Alejandro Beckrich (a_beckrich@hotmail.com) or James Rider (jamestrider@gmail.com). We’ll be sure to keep you posted on our future activities and will post pictures as soon as humanly possible.
August 10, 2007
It’s been a few months since we posted in this space, but that will soon change. In the coming days, weeks, and months we will try to give you a better idea of what it is that Smiles Forever does down here in Bolivia. This blog will focus on the specific activities we regularly realize in an informal, intimate and picture-filled way . For a more general idea of Smiles Forever’s history and vision we encourage you to visit our website (www.smilesforever.org).
We hope that this blog will be useful and informative to you. We also hope that it will encourage you to get involved! If you like what you see here please do support our efforts. You can make a simple, easy, convenient, online tax-deductable donation to Smiles Forever through “Network For Good” (click on the button on the right hand side of this blog). You can also support us by simply searching the internet! If you haven’t heard of GoodSearch, you should really check it out (click on the button below to search in support of Smiles Forever):
Check back soon for pictures and updates of our activities. And by all means, leave us a comment!
