Students and faculty volunteers from the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry recently served children and families at two popular community events in San Francisco and the East Bay.

The Dugoni School cohosted an oral health outreach table at the Pistahan Parade and Festival, the largest celebration of Filipino art, culture, dance, food and music in the United States. The festival was held Aug. 10–11 at Yerba Buena Gardens in downtown San Francisco. Volunteers included leaders from the school’s Student Community Outreach for Public Education (SCOPE) program and Pusong Pacific, a Filipino student club.

“This event was a wonderful way to connect to the Filipino community right in the heart of their cultural district and impact the way they see their dental care!” said Noellemarie Trost DDS 2025, Pusong Pacific’s president.

Also that weekend, volunteers from SCOPE and the Pediatric Dentistry Study Club participated for the second annual back-to-school resource fair for the Hayward Unified School District. Backpacks, supplies and health resources were given to children and families, who also enjoyed fun activities such as music, free haircuts, a car exhibition and more.
 

Volunteers also provided oral health information, gave demonstrations, answered questions and linked children and parents to East Bay dental clinic resources.

“It was extremely rewarding to have the opportunity to interact with a diverse community of families through the oral health interactive games that we had, and seeing the smiles and laughs from the kids and the parents warmed my heart,” said Michelle Huang DH 2025. “I was so happy to be able to provide informational resources to the families who were seeking a permanent dental home in the Bay Area, especially those interested in the Dugoni School, to get them the care they needed.”

School volunteers will be serving the community at other outreach events this fall, including Project Homeless Connect on Wed., Sept. 11 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, and the Chinatown Community Health Fair (date to be announced).