Smile Squad members once again participated at the yearly Tufts Community Day event held at the Medford campus on September 30th!
Thais Antunes (D20) reflects: “The weather this year was perfect. It was great to see the turnout as there were upwards of 3,000 people throughout the day. Families from the Medford, Somerville and surrounding areas enjoyed a day full of fall activities including pumpkin carving, painting, scavenger hunts and more. The day however was not complete until each child had a chance to interact with our puppets and use our toothbrushes to demonstrate how they brush their teeth at home. The children were eager to use our large colorful toothbrushes and enjoyed demonstrating their brushing techniques. One parent reflected, “if only my child was this eager to brush at home”. Our hope is that by going out to the community and participating at events like these, the children will learn more about the importance of oral hygiene and improve their habits at home. Children learn by exposure and experiences which is why our presence at events like these is so important. Our members did a phenomenal job teaching brushing and flossing techniques to the children. Some of our members reflected on their experience:”
Allie Penta – D21 “I loved teaching the kids how to brush and seeing how excited they were to try it”
Sophia Heitmiller – D21 “We handed out hundreds of toothbrushes and it was great to make a positive impression on all those children”
Mehtab Manji – D22 “It was amazing to see kids super excited to learn about brushing and flossing. Parents were also very excited and happy with the puppet learning”
Alyssa Kotin – D21 “I had a great time seeing so many kids of all ages excited to learn more about their teeth”.
Olivia Capotorto- D21 “It was great seeing how excited the parents were watching the children practice brushing and flossing”
