AYUDA Trojans: Magnolia School District

AYUDA and the Magnolia school district have been working together to provide local children quality dental care for over 15 years. This year's clinic was no exception to the tradition that has been built by the two organizations. I'm thrilled to say that this year's Magnolia clinic was one of the biggest AYUDA clinics of the year, providing treatment to over 100 children! Had it not been for the cooperation between the two groups of volunteers, the clinic would not have been nearly as successful as it was. Before the clinic even began, the hard work and cooperation of volunteers from AYUDA and the Magnolia school district was in full effect with people organizing, planning, and preparing the clinic area for the many kids that were about to come for dental care. By the time our doors opened to begin the day, dozens of children and their parents were ready and waiting for the care we were to provide.
The Magnolia volunteers did an excellent job of ensuring the process of admitting the kids into the clinic went smoothly so that there was a steady stream of kids moving into the clinic area. And once the kids were admitted and ready for treatment, the AYUDA volunteers did a great job of taking care of the kids. When I say that we took care of the kids, I don't just mean we took care of their dental needs. Because the Magnolia clinic is always one of the biggest clinics of the year, it was inevitable that some kids would have to wait for others to finish before they could receive their dental treatment. Some of the highlights of my day were watching the interactions between the kids and the volunteers while the kids were waiting to be treated. I especially remember the laughs and smiles from several kids as they played with our volunteers and the stuffed animals that we handed out. It was a nice break from the business of organizing the clinic to watch a volunteer send 3 little girls' stuffed lions flying up towards the ceiling as the girls laughed hysterically. It's scenes like this that always help me remember what AYUDA is all about. The success of AYUDA doesn't just come from the fact that we take care of the immediate dental needs of our patients, but that we leave a lasting impression upon them through our care and compassion. I think I speak for everyone involved in AYUDA when I say that we are already looking forward to next year's Magnolia clinic.