DMD 23 and DMD AS 21 students round out orientation with day of service

As music blared and a cannon-shaped mascot named “Boomer” danced around, 800-odd volunteers at the Cradles to Crayons’ 13th Annual Ready for School Backpack-A-Thon® worked together like a well-oiled machine.

Among these volunteers were students from the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) Class of 2023 and DMD Advanced Standing (DMD AS) Class of 2021, who sorted through pencils and glue sticks as part of a “day of service” that concluded their two-week GSDM orientation. The event occurred on Friday, August 2, 2019, at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center.

Some volunteers unwrapped new backpacks, while others sorted school supplies. Volunteers from different companies stood side-by-side in long rows as they filled the backpacks with school supplies, handing them to their neighbor, while others were tasked with transporting them to large bins on the edge of the space.

“I am grateful to all of the incoming students for their hard work at this year’s day of service,” said Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter. “There is no better way to become a member of the GSDM community than by giving back to the larger community.”

Each year, Cradles to Crayons, an organization that provides children from birth through age 12 with everyday essential items free of charge, hosts the Backpack-A-Thon® at the Reggie Lewis center. This year, the more than 800 volunteers filled 42,500 backpacks in less than four hours with school supplies for children.

Natassia Martins DMD AS 21 was tasked with “distribution” during the Backpack-A-Thon®. Along with other volunteers, she helped load filled backpacks onto trucks for delivery.

“I think that it’s great that we gather here together to provide for these kids,” she said. “It’s amazing to see….all these companies working together.”

The “day of service” is a collaboration between the offices of Student Affairs and Global and Population Health to foster volunteerism and civic engagement for new DMD and DMD AS students. In addition to supporting the local community, the event helps new students to connect and work with one another on a non-dental-related project.

The event takes place on the last day of orientation, which lasts two weeks. In addition to the orientation day of service, incoming students take part in a wide variety of activities, including luncheons, an ice cream social, a series of receptions with Dean & Mrs. Hutter held at the Dahod Family Alumni Center at the BU Castle, informational sessions, and the Professional Ceremony.

“You are the best and the brightest,” said Dean Hutter during the Professional Ceremony. “I know that I speak for the entire faculty, staff and alumni when I say that we feel privileged and deeply gratified that you made the decision—and it was the correct one—to attend our Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine.”