We are just a few weeks away from spearheading our first (of many) and annual Jamaica Dental Outreach program. It’s going to be hard work. It’s going to be rewarding. It’s going to be fun. And I am looking forward to it.
News Flash: we were able to secure thousands of dollars worth of dental supplies, generously donated by Henry Schein, Patterson and K-Dental for our worthy cause. And that giant shipment – 13 big Rubbermaid containers that Karen Ergus spent a number of days assembling, itemizing, and organizing – should be arriving in Florida by the end of this week. We have another 2 containers of anesthetics that are on their way to Jamaica as I write this. No easy task! The Fed Ex people in Canada were telling us one thing, while the Fed Ex people in the U.S. were telling us something different. Thank God Karen and Tiffany (over at Great Shape! Inc., the not for profit helping us to organize this initiative with the Sandals Foundation) were able to get through the bureaucratic red tape to get those much needed dental supplies down to Florida and (hopefully) on to our destination in Negril, Jamaica.
And here’s some more news: many dentists have approached me about coming down next year. They think it’s a wonderful initiative and they really want to get involved. But they only found out about it recently and they’re all booked up this summer (as so are we!). So I’m thinking, if we are successful (and we will be) this year when we come back in September, then we should have an even BIGGER group going down to Sandals / Beaches next year! My goal is to help organize dental outreach a couple of times each year so that Canadian dentists, hygienists, dental students and support staff can have a real and positive impact on the impoverished people of Jamaica.
Stay tuned… I’m sure there will be lots of stories, pictures, videos, etc. of our journey to Jamaica and back. We leave August 28th and return September 6.
