The Why of
By Dr . Gary Davis , MOM-n-PA General Chair
Our mission this year took place in Allentown and I am so proud to report that we once again had a successful MOM-n-PA mission . It takes a lot of work by a lot of people to make a large-scale mission meet the needs of the local community it serves . And after all the hundreds of hours that our leaders put into preparation for the mission , I still get butterflies in my stomach and I have anxiety worrying if enough volunteers and if any patients will show up . Why would a person stand in line outside overnight and trust a couple hundred strangers to take care of their dental needs ?
There are many ways to measure success . We could brag about seeing 1,375 underserved people and we could brag about providing over $ 1.3 million worth of dental care , and we should . But as I said in a previous article , the most rewarding aspects of this mission are hard to measure but make a difference deep within the souls of those that volunteer and those that benefit from our mission . They are the happiness and pride of our volunteers , the pride of the local leadership and their communities and the amazing response from patients about the way they were treated !
We had a superstar team this year . Our executive committee consisting of Drs . Bernie Dishler , Ron Heier , Bruce Terry ,
Charlie Incalcaterra and Seth Walbridge worked together for over eight months making sure that every detail was discussed and taken care of . They set the bar high for next year ’ s mission . And our Department Leads and Assistant Leads were also amazing . I wish I could list all 52 of them by name but I am limited by space . All I can say is THANK YOU for the amazing work you did before and during the mission . You are the heart and soul of the mission !
And as Seth stated in his article , we had approximately 900 volunteers for the mission . What a great testimony to service ! I had so many volunteers come up to me and thank me and our leaders for the opportunity to serve in this mission , and many told me that this was one of the most rewarding days of their lives . Most of them told me that they cannot wait until next year to volunteer in Reading .
As we look ahead to 2024 , our committee and volunteer leadership continues to focus on ways to make this already extraordinary effort even more successful . During the last three missions we were in need of more nurses , lab techs , lay volunteers and endodontists . Please start talking to your friends and colleagues about volunteering for the Reading mission on June 21-22 , 2024 !
JULY / AUGUST 2023 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL 25