GSDM Volunteers Help Kids Prepare for Kindergarten
On Tuesday, August 26, 2014, 34 members of the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) community volunteered their time at the 15th Annual Countdown to Kindergarten Celebration. Countdown to Kindergarten is an annual event at the Children’s Museum in Boston for families to learn about all things kindergarten. This was GSDM’s ninth year participating in the event.
Oral Health Promotion Director Kathy Lituri organized GSDM’s participation in the event. Volunteers provided dental screenings and led oral health activities for parents and kids in attendance, including instructing the children on brushing techniques with stuffed animals and teaching about oral health through arts and crafts. Parents also had the opportunity to talk to the volunteers and ask questions while their children were learning.
The evening was a huge success for Countdown to Kindergarten and GSDM. After three hours, GSDM volunteers had performed 97 dental screenings and interacted with hundreds of families. “I want to thank each and every one of you for volunteering at the 15th annual Countdown to Kindergarten Celebration,” Lituri said to the volunteers after the event. “Events like this are only successful because of volunteers like you. Thank you for your time and your professionalism.”
Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter said, “I am extremely proud of our students and faculty who volunteered for this important event. Countdown to Kindergarten is significant to the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, as it helps the families in our Boston community. The time our volunteers gave to Countdown to Kindergarten helped make our participation in the event a success. Thank you to all who came out and helped.”
Student volunteers included: Heidi Borenstein DMD 17, Margi Chan DMD 16, Keerthy Chilakamarry (pre-dental), Shelby Curtis DMD 16, Michelle Dube DMD 15, Cassandra Fevelo DMD 15, Chiraag Gohel (pre-dental), Tony Hong DMD 18, Navtej Kang AS 16, Justine Karanian DMD 15, Ana Keohane AS 16, Courtney Knapnik DMD 16, Jae Kwak DMD 16, Andrea Lam DMD 16, Lana Le DMD 16, Jena Lee DMD 18, Brian Leibtog DMD 15, Matt Mara DMD 16, Mohammad Mourad (pre-dental), Mona Najafi DMD 16, Sara Najafi DMD 17, Nora Nakshabendi DMD 16, Alex Nguyen DMD 17, Divya Reddy (pre-dental), Rafaella Sampaio DMD 18, Kali Stewart DMD 15, Megan Sullivan DMD 18, Farnaz Tartibi DMD 16, and Jame Waller DMD 18. Faculty volunteers included Group Practice Leader Dr. Maria Angela Cancado, Clinical Instructor in the Department of General Dentistry Dr. Caroline Clerisme, and Clinical Instructor in the Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research Dee Devlin.