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Service in the Academy

One year ago, we of the Executive Committee expressed that inasmuch as many tremendous service organizations already have their programs established and are anxiously seeking participants and that we have the dentists and personnel who are willing and able to serve, the most logical move for us was to become the facilitators for their projects.

We still have our own Mexican orphanage project in Guadalajara, Mexico. Some of our members, along with their families and in some cases also their staffs, have had tremendous experiences serving the children of those seven orphanages. This year many of our members have also gone on bush dentistry expeditions with humanitarian groups such as CHOICE, Ayuda, Chasqui, Fundamed, and others. Most have returned with the desire to go again and again. It's great to see the enthusiasm, which is beginning to gain momentum in doing dental service in foreign countries.

The main limiting factor in having more Academy members join with these already well-established humanitarian groups was the lack of good portable dental delivery units. With the help of Rotary International and Adec equipment suppliers, we were able to purchase many portable Adec units to help facilitate these expeditions and projects. They have already been used in Bolivia, Guatemala, Peru, Jakarta, Kenya, and Mexico and are scheduled to go to Vietnam, Nepal, and other countries in the near future. We intend to make available on our Web page some of the great reports of these groups so you can become familiar with the details of their experiences. Our hope is to help you prepare to share your skills on some future expeditions. Our members have also taught dental courses in Colombia, Peru, Brazil, and Indonesia. They've also worked in various dental schools and hospitals teaching surgical and clinical techniques.

The partner shipping which is beginning to develop looks very promising. LDS Charities has asked us to establish a dental task committee to help with current and future projects around the world. Our Lima Dental School is one of those and, as you have probably read on their Web page, has had unbelievable success. Pelton Crane, Kavo, and others have teamed together with our Academy to make it the most impressive clinic in Peru. Two satellite clinics are being set up there which will give us even more opportunities to serve together with native dentists and students. We are having Peruvian dentists, previous recipients of our scholarships there, join our Academy and help participate in this project. It is exciting to see the effect when many groups start working together.

Many have done dental service or training in their own cities and areas working with less fortunate patients close to home. We, as the Executive Committee, have been impressed and inspired by our members who have given amazing amounts of humanitarian service in the dental field. Truly we are a blessed people and have been fortunate to be a part of a great service profession.

We have received letters and calls from numerous other members who would like to get involved in organized service projects. Some just don't know how to join the right project for them. We will be doing many things to help you choose the area of service that best fits your time, resources, and ability to serve.

We have included on our Web page information on many of the already functioning service organizations. We encourage you to participate with them. We hope to help you feel comfortable choosing the appropriate "venues" for your service. We desire to build a whole new era of service through the Academy of LDS Dentists. Please share your ideas and experiences with us as you join in the momentum.

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