One of the gratifying things the Foundation does is to select deserving dental students and help them go through the challenges of dental school.
Our current choice is a wonderful young lady from the University of the Philippines, College of Dentistry. Her name is Claire Aceveda, a second-year dental student.
Ms. Aceveda was selected by the Scholarship Committee before she started her second year in dental school. Although she already had face to face contact with the members of the committee composed of Dr. Maria Leah Imperio, Dr. Maria Delia Saquido-Picardal and Dr. Cesario del Rosario, she has yet to meet the President of the Foundation nor its CFO.
That opportunity came today, and Ms. Aceveda and her mother, Malou Aceveda finally met them.
Over a very long protracted lunch at the Coca Café at the fame Herald Suites Hotel along Chino Roces Street in Makati City, they at last came face to face with Dr Ed de la Vega and his wife Marcela, thus putting a face on the name they only see on social media.
After a short formality and introduction, they had a very interesting conversation about life experiences as well as what dental school is all about. Dr. Ed dela Vega shared his experiences from dental school up to his retirement from the profession after 54 years of practice giving Ms. Aceveda an overview on what she is expected to experience as she goes through the next 4 and a half years of dental school and the life-long practice of the profession.
He also reminded Ms. Aceveda of what the Foundation expects from her .
Foundation CFO Marcela de la Vega joined the conversation sharing her experiences of being a wife of a dentist who was not only focused on his practice and raising a family, but also in sharing God’s blessings to others through the foundation.
After lunch, the group parted but not after getting a feel and understanding of what is expected from each party.
As a “great-to-know-you” gift, Dr. de la Vega presented Ms. Aceveda a couple of dental handpieces for use when she gets to the pre-clinical stages of her education and be introduced to the rigors of restorative dentistry. One of the handpieces is fitted with an internal air activated LED operating light.
The Dentistry for Every Village Foundation, Inc., raises funds by seeking grants and donations to build dental clinics. These clinics are donated to health care institutions that have the resources to house the facility, experiences and expertise to run them efficiently, and whose management is supportive of the cause.
