All in the family: Dental hygiene students raise funds to help Parkinson's battle

Bob Fowler
·1 min read

Roane State Community College's dental hygiene students have been busy this semester, donating their time and skills to provide two free dental clinics and participate in a 5K Run/Walk for Parkinson’s.

First-year Roane State Community College dental hygiene students participated in a 5K Run/Walk for Parkinson’s. Front row, from left: Kristen Dume, Linda Lange and Jessica Blalock. Second row: Katie Wells, Monicka Maghanoy, and Samantha Ezell.
First-year Roane State Community College dental hygiene students participated in a 5K Run/Walk for Parkinson’s. Front row, from left: Kristen Dume, Linda Lange and Jessica Blalock. Second row: Katie Wells, Monicka Maghanoy, and Samantha Ezell.

The fundraiser was held at the Renaissance Center in Farragut in October. A total of 28 students, family and friends participated in the event.

Their participation was a tribute to dental hygiene program director Melinda Gill’s mother, Linda Evans-Pollard, who has Parkinson’s disease.

The first- and second-year dental hygiene students at Roane State who participated in the second free dental clinic in the community college’s Coffey/McNally Building in Oak Ridge are pictured, along with dentist Jay Hollingsworth and five graduates of the program who served as mentors. The mentors are in black scrubs.
The first- and second-year dental hygiene students at Roane State who participated in the second free dental clinic in the community college’s Coffey/McNally Building in Oak Ridge are pictured, along with dentist Jay Hollingsworth and five graduates of the program who served as mentors. The mentors are in black scrubs.

“I was truly touched by their kindness and love shown towards my mother and this truly worthy cause,” Gill said.

In the second free clinic, held in October, students provided care to 12 patients from six counties, including Dade County, Georgia.

Other patients were from Anderson, Blount, Cumberland, Knox and Roane counties. Services included 10 cleanings, eight exams, 16 extractions and 13 dental X-rays.

Assisting in the program were dentist Jay Hollingsworth, who volunteered his time and skills, and hygienists who mentored the students and are previous graduates of the RSCC program, including Brittany Roybal, Cristina Graham, Janna Gentry, Crystal Greene and Mindy Willocks.

Gill said the next free clinic will be held Feb. 19. Additional details will be released closer to the event date.

Information on Roane State’s dental hygiene program can be found online at roanestate.edu/dentalhygiene.

Bob Fowler is a writer for Roane State.

This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Dental hygiene students raise funds to help Parkinson's battle