Today@Dal

On February 22, Dalhousie Dentistry faculty, staff and students joined thousands of Canadians across the country walking to raise money for those less fortunate.

‘The Coldest Night of the Year’ is a Canada-wide walking fundraiser that raises money for 65 Canadian charities that serve the hungry, homeless and hurting.

Denise Zwicker, a dental hygienist at the Faculty, first heard about The Coldest Night of the Year over a year ago while volunteering at St. Andrew’s Church.

“I was unable to participate last year, but a month ago my colleague Kim Marchand mentioned it to me and we decided to put a Dal team together,” says Denise.

The Dal Dentistry team, appropriately named Miles for Smiles, along with the other teams participating in Halifax donated proceeds to the Ark, a youth drop-in centre in downtown Halifax.

“We treat many of these youth at the North End Dental Clinic and may even see some of them at the emergency room, public health or the GPR clinic at Dal,” says Denise. “Kim and I thought it was a great fit, considering these collaborations.”

Denise is also the course director for the first-year dental hygiene ethics class and thought this event would be a great activity.

“One of the things we focus on in class is how community service and service learning relates to professionalism. I really wanted to try and get some of my students thinking about being professionals in their communities," says Denise. “I am trying to lead by example.”

Miles for Smiles raised $1,850 in support of Ark, coming in 12th for funds raise out of the 40 teams that walked in Halifax. Together, the Halifax event raised $60,674 for Ark.

For more on the event, visit: http://coldestnightoftheyear.org/location/halifax