Give A Day Campaign
When The Mustard Seed Kamloops launched its campaign to attract more local dentists to volunteer their time at their dental clinic, there was supposed to be one man that spearheaded the campaign. Instead, on Friday (April 26) we kicked off our Give a Day, Change a Life campaign in memory of that person, Dr. Bruce Tucker.
“Today, we’re honouring a tremendous volunteer who worked in our community and was suddenly taken from us,” says Diane Down, Managing Director of The Mustard Seed Kamloops. “He was the heartbeat of this campaign and we want to recognize the fact that he served at our clinic for the over six years, had over 4,400 appointments and probably — we estimate — donated about half a million dollars in services to our community.”
The Give A Day campaign is about encouraging the local dental community to give one day of their time this year to volunteer their professional services at the clinic. The campaign was originally spearheaded by Dr. Bruce Tucker, who recently passed after a short battle with a critical illness. He knew this self-sacrificial act of service was important for the community we serve, and in fact, it changes the life of the dental professional, as it did with him.
Dental Clinic
In October 1999, the New Life Mission Dental Clinic opened in Kamloops — the first of its kind in British Columbia, and only the second in all of Western Canada. The establishment of the New Life Mission Dental Clinic was the vision of Dr. Alex Yule, a former dentist in Kamloops, to provide compassionate dental care for our community.
Services at the non-profit dental clinic are offered at a drastically reduced rate, depending on the financial circumstances and income supports of the clientele. Over the last four years, the clinic has served over 2,600 patients, both women and men aged 16 – 100 years old, thus alleviating pressure on emergency room visits and local dental offices.
The clinic operates three to four days per week, depending on the volunteer hours of dental professionals. The clinic schedules, on average, 150 appointments per month. Currently, the clinic has three dentists, four CDAs, and two receptionists. All staff licences and registrations are current and valid.
Get Involved
The dental clinic needs help from the dental profession to continue providing adequate dental care to our community’s most vulnerable members. Dental professionals are asked to volunteer at the clinic for one day this year. Please use the online calendar at www.theseed.ca/giveaday, or contact Kat or Lisa at 778.471.5878 or [email protected] to select your day of giving!
