Volunteering with Global Dental Relief (GDR) is an exciting and transformative experience. Whether you’ve traveled to remote corners of the world to provide essential dental care and oral health education or worked behind the scenes to support our efforts — your time and expertise have made a tangible difference in the lives of countless children. But the impact doesn’t have to end when you return home. One of the most powerful ways you can continue supporting GDR’s mission is by raising awareness and sharing future opportunities with others.

By sharing your experience and educating others about the ongoing need for accessible dental care in underserved communities, you can help expand the reach of this vital work and inspire more people to get involved.

When you volunteer with GDR, you become a firsthand witness to the challenges people face in accessing basic healthcare. The communities we serve still lack the infrastructure and resources to meet even the most basic dental needs.

By sharing stories and photos from your time volunteering, you can highlight these challenges and emphasize how life-changing something as simple as a routine dental cleaning or filling can be. Social media platforms, blogs, or community events are great outlets for spreading the word! You can create content that highlights not only the problems but also the solutions that GDR provides, showcasing the positive impact of volunteerism and the incredible difference a single dental clinic can make in a community’s health.

Raising awareness doesn’t stop at sharing your experience — it also means actively engaging others in the cause. By becoming an advocate for our mission, you are helping to create a ripple effect of generosity, compassion and action, all aimed at providing essential dental care to those who need it most.

Here are a few ways you can advocate:

• Organize a fundraising effort: There are many online platforms that make it easy to get started, like Facebook or GoFundMe. Consider pairing a fundraiser with your next birthday/anniversary/holiday and ask for donations in lieu of gifts.
• Write about your experience: Try connecting with your local newspaper, a local club or community newsletter to publish a short article and a few photos!
• Host a Toothbrush Packing event: GDR delivers thousands of toothbrushes per year to children around the world. They are donated or ordered to our office, and often come in bulky plastic.  We take them out of the original bags and pack them in reusable sacks of 100 to be easily distributed inside our field dental clinics. Help us by taking a few boxes home to re-pack, or make an event out of it with your friends, family, office or clubs!
• Organize a dental supply drive: We always need toothbrushes and floss for our clinics (no toothpaste, please). You can also contact your local dentist(s) and ask them to collect supplies on behalf of GDR. You can find a list of our accepted dental donations here.

Awareness often leads to action. When people understand the critical need for dental care in underserved areas, they are moved to offer their support and allow GDR to continue and expand its reach. The mission of Global Dental Relief is bigger than any single trip or volunteer experience — it’s an ongoing movement to ensure that every person, no matter where they live, has access to the dental care they need.

Ultimately, continuing your support for Global Dental Relief after volunteering is about making a long-term commitment to the cause. Whether through raising awareness, encouraging others to volunteer, or actively supporting fundraising initiatives, your involvement will help transform lives on a global scale.

By sharing your passion for dental care and the mission of GDR, you’re not just raising awareness—you’re creating a network of change-makers who will make a lasting difference in the world.

Contact us today and share how you plan to continue supporting GDR from home!

The post Double Your Impact: Continued Support for Global Dental Relief After Volunteering first appeared on Global Dental Relief.

Dental care is a luxury many people take for granted. Regular exams and routine cleanings are an annual occurrence for many. But for children who live in remote areas of the world, access to proper dental care is often a “once in a lifetime” opportunity.

Here at Global Dental Relief (GDR) we are committed to providing children with comprehensive dental care and oral health education. GDR volunteer teams of dentists, hygienists and general volunteers provide dental care to children in need all across the globe.

We need your help! This work is only possible through the generous support of volunteers! There is space for you on several of our upcoming clinics in 2018. We are looking for caring and compassionate volunteers to complete our teams of volunteers. There are still openings for volunteers to join us in Guatemala and Nepal this summer.

Guatemala
There are opportunities for both dentists and hygienists to join us in Guatemala this summer to work in the beautiful and remote village of San Martin Jilotepeque. The dental clinic is situated in the Guatemalan highlands among the indigenous Mayan people, offering first-hand interaction with the rich Guatemalan culture. During this trip, you have the opportunity to visit the stunning capital of Antigua as well as embark on a zip line excursion and coffee plantation tour.

Nepal
Dentists, hygienists and general volunteers are needed in GDR clinics in Nepal this August. Here we set up a week-long dental clinic at Shree Mangal Dvip Boarding School in Kathmandu. This charity school was founded to meet the needs of children from the remote villages in the Himalayas. At the end of the clinic, volunteers visit the beautiful mountain town of Pokhara. Pokhara is full of endless outdoor adventures and home to the Annapurna trailhead.

Volunteering with GDR is not only an opportunity for an exciting adventure, it is also a chance to enrich the lives and smiles of children around the world.

If you would like to become a volunteer with Global Dental Relief, call our office at 303.858.8857 or email volunteer@globaldentalrelief.org today!

The post We need YOU: Clinic openings in 2018. first appeared on Global Dental Relief.

Global Dental Relief (GDR) partners with Cranberry USA, a dental supply company and generous sponsor. As a GDR sponsor, Cranberry USA offers five $1,000 scholarships to pre-dental and pre-dental hygiene students who are passionate about bringing dental care to kids overseas.

Thanks to Cranberry USA, Jocelin Calcagano – our first scholarship recipient – was able to join Global Dental Relief as a general volunteer in San Martin, Guatemala. Jocelin taught oral health education to students, she was able to gain hands-on experience by assisting dentists all while gaining practical experience for her future.

Jocelin was moved by the children she served and worked with, experiencing another culture first hand.  She gained insight into her future profession while working alongside experienced dentists and hygienists.

“The Cranberry Scholarship allowed me to see dental care in action. I’ve always wanted to do service overseas but could never afford it. Cranberry helped me tremendously, they were the reason I was able to attend the clinic.”

Jocelin is highly motivated with a strong desire to make an impact, big or small.  She applies for dental school this summer, aiming for a dual degree in dentistry and public health. In her scholarship application she writes: A career in dentistry, gives me the platform to promote preventative care and create alliances that drive change in communities … Dentistry is not just a career choice for me; it is a commitment to service that I’m ready to fulfill.

Jocelin has taken a major step in her pursuit of making a difference in the world of dentistry.  As a pre-dental or pre-dental hygiene student, you can be a part of the difference too.  Global Dental Relief has two remaining scholarships for our 2017 Fall clinics in Cambodia and India.

Global Dental Relief is thankful for generous sponsors, like Cranberry USA, who give students the unique opportunity to work and gain experience in the field of dentistry overseas.

If you are interested in learning more about the Cranberry scholarship or ways you can volunteer with us, call 303-858-8857 or email volunteer@globaldentalrelief.org.

The post Our First Cranberry Scholar in Action: A Cranberry USA and Global Dental Relief Partnership first appeared on Global Dental Relief.