BajaBlanca
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Location: La Bocana, BCS
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Trip to Abreojos dental clinic
Craig from Abreojos let me know that they were planning a dental clinic last Friday and Saturday so I pumped up all the Middle Schoolers to go. Most
of them have never ever been to a dentist and are quite afraid, but 17 signed up!
I told the kids that any parent that took at least 3 students could have cash for gas and 2 parents took me up on that offer.
The charge per patient is 100 pesos which covers anything done - cleaning to fillings to root canals. I covered that cost so that money for these
kids was no issue.
First to be picked up was 9th grader Riquelmer, his dad gave me a permission slip to make any dental decision for his kid since he is an oyster
farmer and had to work both days. They have no electricity and no running water but look how beautiful the house and garden are:
After hooking up with the two future scholarship holders, who rode in their own car to be able to return to school after the clinic, we were the
first to arrive in Abreojos for the clinic and we came bearing gifts - two rolls of toilet paper, pens for the front desk, 50 toothbrushes of the
ones Steve Martin donated to me (gotta love his name) and 3 bars of soap:
There were dental hygenists and dentists and doctors and even an optometrist:
Riquelmer got his teeth cleaned and we found out that he has 2 cavities that will be filled at the next clinic:
Next August scholarship recipient Ramiro (from Abreojos) had no cavities and had his teeth cleaned:
Javier from La Bocana and also a future scholarship kid has (and it hurts to even write it) S E V E N cavities. He got a cleaning and we will have
those cavities filled at the next clinic :
and now comes Adriana, senior straight A student as well, and they found a wisdom tooth ready to come out so they pulled it! Huge savings for us!
and here is Oyuki, my illiterate 7th grader She never went to school until this year so she has a lot of catching up to do. Her dad was recently
murdered in Vizcaino ughhhhhhhhhh
She is an angry soul but we are all working real hard to bring her up to snuff to be able to handle the world. She says she wants to be a
hairdresser and not finish high school. One of the seniors is going to teach her some hairstyling - she needs something right away, in case she
flunks out.
I am so happy she came to the clinic! She had 2 fillings done. Just like the rest, it was her first time seeing a dentist.
Today- I again talked to all the students in Junior High about how important it is to care for your teeth. I gave them all one of Steve Martin's
donated toothbrushes:
7th graders -
8th graders -
and the super 9th graders!
I then had this class raise their hand if they had never gone to the dentist  (((
and because many of these went to the Abreojos clinic - I asked them to raise their hand if they HAD ever gone to the dentist. Many had big smiles
as they raised their hands  ))))
Can you see Riqeulmer in the back? and in the front Karime and 2 others in her family went:
Doing this has been my dream for over a year now - to get this junior high group started on keeping their teeth healthy! I cannot thank the flying
dentists enough for taking La Bocana kids in - their clinic was designed for Punta Abreojos first and foremost and they made an exception for me.
[Edited on 3-8-2017 by BajaBlanca]
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woody with a view
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Thats epic! Good work Blanca!
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danaeb
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You do so many good things for your students Blanca. Mil Gracias.
Experience enables you to recognize a mistake every time you repeat it.
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jbcoug
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Location: Vancouver, WA
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These reports always make me smile, these kids have no idea how lucky they are to have you in thier lives! I will be seeing you and Les in a week or
so and will be bearing gifts!
\"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.\" Andy Rooney
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BajaBlanca
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Location: La Bocana, BCS
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The ties you donated are the rage jbcoug! My students lend them out to other students! It is so wonderful to see.
Hasta luego and have a safe trip.
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Udo
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What a great event, Blanca!
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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rts551
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Blanca has done a great job getting the students to the clinic. They need it.
The visiting dentists (headed up by Craig, a part time Abreojos resident) are the real heroes by donating their time, equipment and supplies. The
nice new building (clinic) was built by donations from the people of Punta Abreojos and La Beliza (a beach community in Abreojos). It is a model for
many towns to follow.
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BajaBlanca
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Location: La Bocana, BCS
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This clinic is so important and I only wish it were used more often!
Thanks all for the nice words ~ Blanca
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