Garcia’s volunteer work has mostly centered around offering translation or help with transportation. As a dentist, he started to notice the needs for dental care, particularly the kids. Many hadn’t seen a dentist after months of arduous travel from their home countries to the United States. They would ask for toothbrushes and toothpaste, mention dental problems, or inquire about the possibility of oral care check-ups.

“I would even notice it when the kids smiled. You could see the cavities,” he said. “As a dentist, you are always conscious of the dental needs of people. I began thinking of all the ways that I could help them.”

But as he kept volunteering and seeing more and more kids, he said he eventually realized the problem was adding up to more than anything he could take on as a lone dentist. He proposed the idea of making the migrant children the focus of this year’s Give Kids A Smile event to LaToya Barham, DDS, who is associate professor, residency director, and chair of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry. “We had the same vision and she helped turn the idea into reality,” he said. “That’s what I learned here at Howard, if you are surrounded with people with the same vision, anything is possible.”

Barham, who participated in the college’s very first Give Kids A Smile event as a Howard dental student 20 years ago, said that in addition to providing much needed care, an important goal of the project was to cultivate leadership skills among students and residents.

“Every year we are committed to giving children smiles,” Barham said. “This year was so special because Dr. Garcia, one my residents, birthed the idea from his servant heart.  So today, it’s a two-fold joy: bringing the smile to children, and seeing a resident grow in his service to the community.”

To make an appointment at the Howard University College of Dentistry Pediatric Clinic, please call 202-806-0308, or email bisondentalcare@howard.edu.

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About Howard University 

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 14 schools and colleges. Students pursue more than 140 programs of study leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced two Schwarzman Scholars, four Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 12 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 165 Fulbright recipients. Howard also produces more on-campus African American PhD recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visit www.howard.edu. 

For media inquiries, contact Sholnn Freeman, sholnn.freeman@howard.edu