Tufts hosted its 15th annual Community Day on Sunday September 25, 2017. Smile Squad members were there to provide oral hygiene instructions to the various children and families that participated. Our table was a center of attraction. Most families recognized us from the year before. The children enjoyed interacting with our members and learning more about oral hygiene techniques. It was a rewarding experiencing for Smile Squad as it was a busy event with lots of people eager to use the educational tools we had available. The number of families including the children that didn’t speak English at the event made it apparent that it is important to have volunteers that speak many languages. Thankfully, we had Smile Squad members who spoke Spanish and Portuguese at the event which was a great resource. We hope that next year we will have more members present who are fluent in other languages due to the diversity present in Boston and its surrounding areas.
Sandy Lopez ( D20) reflects on her experience:
Volunteering with Smile Squad at Tufts Community day was wonderful experience to be a part of. The opportunity to be a first-time exposure of oral hygiene to various young children and families was very rewarding. Going forward and reflecting on the experience I hope we can have a poster board or even a pin saying “Ask us to how brush and Floss” in various languages that help us provide everyone at the event with oral health instructions.
