Community Service Programs and Opportunities
2008 Community Service Recognition Awards Call for Nominations
Honoring those who have offered outstanding service to:
- Children and/or Patients with Special Needs
- The Underserved
- The World Community
- The Dental Profession and/ot Dental Advocacy
The Community Service Recognition Awards Program is a project of the Metropolitan Denver Dental Society (MDDS) and the MDDS Community Access to Care Committee. Each year the program provides local recognition for MDDS members who have demonstrated outstanding volunteer or charitable service to the Denver metro community or to the dental profession. Organized dentistry takes great pride in recognizing the accomplishments of its members on behalf of the profession, patients and our community.
Nominate someone you know today!
Following is a brief description of community service outreach and community partnerships/affiliations...
Domestic Violence Dental Care Program... Awarded the 2006 CWEE Silver Flame Partners of the Year Award and American Society of Association Executive's 2004 Award of Excellence, the DVDCP is a community service project of MDDS member dentists offering cost-free dental care to disadvantaged survivors of domestic violence in Denver in an effort to restore oral health and assist in recovery. Currently 134 dentists have enrolled in the program and over $450,000 in care has been donated/or is in progress.
Explorer Post 296... "Explorer" is a 50 year-old national, co-ed program that matches the career interests of students (ages 14-20) with adult expertise and resources of sponsoring organizations. The idea is to show students what a career is really like and to help them make the right choices now to succeed later. In 2003, MDDS successfully established the first-ever Explorer Post in the country to be developed by organized dentistry. This program is co-sponsored by the Colorado Dental Association.
9Health Fair... As an associate partner of this very high-profile event, MDDS dentists provide dental screenings at 9HF sites statewide. Special thanks to our member volunteers for making our partnership with the 9Health Fair such a strong and visible one. It is because of their participation that we are able to successfully educate our communities about the importance of oral health and its relationship to overall health.
School Presentation Center... As a benefit to schools and members who visit school groups to talk about dentistry, MDDS offers an aray of visual props, such as giant toothbrushes, tubes of toothpaste, and puppets with movable typo-dents and multi-grade level lesson plans, coloring/activity sheets, brochures, videos, storybooks, the MDDS Sammy the Saber Tooth Tiger mascot costume and so much more for use free of charge.
Children’s Events... MDDS is proud to sponsor the following events and invites members to join us at events like Trick-or-Treat Street at the Children’s Museum of Denver in October, to promote dental health education to parents and kids.
