On Sunday, December 17, 2017, 42 members of the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) community volunteered at the annual Christmas in the City (CITC) event at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. This annual holiday celebration began as a small event for mothers and children in Boston area homeless shelters, but has now grown to over 5,000 attendees with 3,000 volunteers.
This year’s Christmas in the City event featured a banquet, live entertainment, Santa, a Winter Wonderland with games, rides, a petting zoo, and kid-friendly activities. Additionally, each child received a personalized gift from Santa that they wished for. Some GSDM volunteers went the extra mile and wore holiday-themed headwear and hats to add an extra-festive touch.
Hundreds of children visited the GSDM area, where our volunteers helped children and/or their parents learn about the importance of baby teeth and how to keep them healthy. 37 attendees received dental screenings, a service not so readily available to many in the Boston area.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be part of CITC, an amazing and magical holiday event that brings smiles, happiness and resources to thousands of Boston area children that are living day-to-day with the stress and insecurity of homelessness and poverty. I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your contributions to CITC. It’s the dedication and commitment of volunteers such as ours that enables GPH to plan and carry out these outreach activities with success,” said Ms. Kathy Lituri, Clinical Instructor of Health Policy & Health Services Research; Director of Oral Health Promotions, Office of Global & Population Health.
She added, “participating in CITC is one of those events that tugs on one’s heartstrings in numerous ways. In addition to promoting oral health and providing dental screenings, I am confident that this experience offers the GSDM volunteers with a wide range of personal and professional rewards, a better understanding of homelessness, more knowledge of local resources, and the realization that every volunteer counts and that their efforts truly make a difference.”
“Thank you to Ms. Kathy Lituri and our entire GSDM family for participating in such a wonderful holiday event,” said Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter. “The work they do is important and is another example of our commitment to community service.”