Donating for Humanitarian Dental Projects
YOUR DONATIONS ARE NEEDED FOR WORTHWHILE PROJECTS
In addition to membership dues, the Ensign Academy of Dentistry (formerly the Academy of LDS Dentists) receives donations. The dues and donation funds are considered sacred, and surplus from membership dues, and the donations received are used to help further the mission of the Academy. (Mission Statement) Help make a difference now!
The Academy has a 3-fold purpose: Education, Fellowship, and Service and is heavily involved with dental humanitarian service, using Academy funds to provide assistance to many worthwhile projects. Academy members may receive a portion of the available funds to help with their own dental service projects including: patient care, facility expenses, equipment and supplies, and training/teaching materials.
If you would like to apply for monetary assistance with your dental service project, fill out a Humanitarian Funds Request Form which can be downloaded here: Request for Humanitarian Funds. Scan and e-mail the completed form to our Service Coordinator, Tricia Tippets, for processing and approval (triciatippets@gmail.com).
Following are just a few of the projects the Academy has used donations to help with in the past:
1. GUATEMALA – The LDS Church built a dental clinic at a large orphanage in Guatemala City. The Academy helped obtain equipment, including the donation of five operatories by John and Janelle Spencer, Catholic friends of Academy projects. Senior missionaries staff the clinic, and there are regularly volunteer dentists and their families serving in the clinic. Orphans from all over Guatemala City receive dental care in the clinic. However, the primary focus of the effort is for LDS missionaries and pre-missionaries to receive dental care, so they can serve. To volunteer, please contact the dental missionary couples at ldsguatvols@gmail.com.
3. KINGDOM OF TONGA – In the beautiful South Pacific island Kingdom of Tonga, the Ensign Academy of Dentistry in conjunction with the LDS Church and Deseret International Foundation operates a 7-chair volunteer dental clinic on the campus of Liahona High School. This clinic is operated solely by donations of time and materials. The clinic has been in operation since 1998. During an average year, over 5,000 patients are treated, receiving a great variety of dental procedures.
Please consider a donation to the Ensign Academy of Dentistry (formerly the Academy of LDS Dentists). Your donation will go to a worthwhile cause and will help others SMILE!
TO SUBMIT A DONATION:
1. Online donation: Click HERE and follow the prompts.
2. Donation by mail: Send check to:
If you have questions you may contact the Academy’s Administrative Director, Kristen Somerville, at (801) 889-7012 or email: ensignacademyofdentistry@gmail.com. All donations are tax-deductible. Online donations receive an automatic letter via e-mail that can be used for tax purposes.
Thank you for your contribution!
Donating Equipment and Supplies
The Academy no longer accepts donations of supplies or equipment. However, we suggest our members donate equipment and supplies to one of the following contacts:
- David Sheets when he is putting together his yearly container to send to Central America to equip and supply a number of outreach clinics in that area. You may contact him at 1-801-836-0971. His email address is: David Sheets – davidsheets1@gmail.com
- Globus Relief also does a good job in accepting donations and making them available to various service organizations where the need is great. You may contact them as follows:
Globus Relief
1775 W. 1500 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84104
Phone: 801-977-0444
Fax: 801-977-3999
Donating to the Scholarship Fund
It’s no surprise that attending dental school has become extremely expensive. Unfortunately, keeping up with the rising costs of attending school is often overwhelming for students, many of whom are young couples raising families.
MAKE A SCHOLARSHIP DONATION NOW
The Scholarship program of the Ensign Academy of Dentistry (formerly the Academy of LDS Dentists) is a manifestation of the members’ desire to give. Since the beginning of the scholarship program, over 500 U.S. Students, 100 Hygiene Students, and about 150 International Students from developing-world countries have benefited from the generosity of the Academy members.
Announcing a new type of scholarship for dental students:
The Annual Conference, sponsored by the Academy each year in August, is an excellent way to receive top-notch education while developing friendships with other members of the Academy in an environment that embraces the standards and values of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A big emphasis on service is placed as a dozen or more dental service organizations attend the conference with displays showcasing service provided and opportunities available for Academy members. The conference is an excellent way for students to catch the vision of what the Academy is all about. It is the mission of the Academy – Education, Service, and Fellowship, all rolled into one inspiring, possibly life-changing weekend! Students are the future of the Academy, and what better way for students to see how Academy members blend the professional and spiritual aspects of their lives together, and desire to do the same after they graduate?
The Academy recognizes how expensive dental school can be, creating financial difficulties in many areas, including being able to participate in additional educational opportunities, which can be very rewarding and life-changing for students. In order to facilitate dental students’ ability to participate in the Annual Conference, the Academy provides the Annual Conference Scholarship.
With this scholarship, recipients are reimbursed up to $1,500 for conference related expenses for themselves and their spouse attending the conference (if applicable). The first Annual Conference Scholarships were awarded in 2014, with very positive response.
Dental hygiene scholarship recipients still receive monetary scholarships, which can be used at the student’s discretion to help with education or living expenses where it is needed most.
The impact on these students’ lives would not be possible without the continued generosity of Academy members. Please consider making a donation to the Academy’s scholarship fund. Thank you!