GSDM participates in ASDA’s Week of Service
During the third week of January, dental students across the country rolled up their sleeves and got to work serving their communities during the annual American Student Dental Association (ASDA) Week of Service. More than 40 members of the GSDM community participated in the event, which took place from Monday, January 17 to Friday, January 23, 2022.
ASDA’s Week of Service is an annual event that celebrates the organization’s commitment to community and service. This year’s theme was “Renewing our Reach,” and focused on reconnecting and re-establishing connections with communities.
“Having one particular week set aside for service that is the same amongst all ASDA chapters throughout the country fosters a sense of community between dental schools while simultaneously encourages students at each school to come together to give back and serve others,” said Courtney Sepe DMD 22, who chairs BU ASDA’s community outreach committee. “This week of service is a great way to reflect on the importance of community service, [and] what it means to students as we prepare for a career in the dental profession, and helps unite school chapters to work towards a common goal of helping those in need.”
Due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, in-person outreach at Boston University has been temporarily paused—despite that, GSDM students still found ways to give back to the local community.
“It has definitely been a challenge to coordinate all types of in-person service events given the ongoing pandemic,” Sepe said. “However, what is so amazing about community outreach is that the ways to support and serve others are endless, and extending help in virtual ways can equally impact someone’s life. For this year’s Week of Service, I worked closely with Ms. [Kathy] Lituri, [clinical assistant professor and oral health promotion director in the Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research], to brainstorm ways that students could still feel safe while participating and giving back.”
As part of the week’s events, there were three levels of service challenges, named after different types of teeth. The Incisor-Level Challenge offered students the opportunity to get involved as an individual by donating blood, while the Canine-Level Challenge was a chapter-wide initiative aimed at collecting clothing and non-perishable food items. GSDM students could donate food to the Pine Street Inn or donate clothing to Cradles to Crayons: In total, GSDM collected over 150 items to donate between the two organizations.
The Molar-Level Challenge involved getting chapters involved in the community. Students could participate by attending the 2022 National Day of Racial Healing for the Oral Health Community, a virtual event held in collaboration with GSDM’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Committee (DEIBAC).
The National Day of Racial Healing is an annual observance hosted by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and centers around experiences rooted in truth-telling, offering people, organizations and communities a day set aside for racial healing, bringing people together to take collective action for a more just and equitable world.
“We ended the week with two large donation boxes of food for the Pine St. Inn overflowing with goods, multiple online shoe donations and winter coats for Cradles to Crayons, as well as participation in both the blood drive and virtual National Day of Healing presentation,” Sepe said. “Having participation in all three of the challenges offered demonstrates the GSDM community’s eagerness to serve in different and unique ways.” Sepe said that during the week-long event, she saw the power of volunteering as a group, as participation began to increase.
“Community service can often be a ripple effect,” Sepe said. “Once you see classmates or colleagues participating, it builds comradery and a desire for others to want to get involved too.”