We Are Off and Running

Our new Memorial and Tribute Funds Program started off strongly at our recent Board Meeting with a donation from every Foundation Board member of $1000 or more, for a total of $12,800. When Board members support their nonprofit organization financially, it sends a clear message to the community that they believe in the organization.

We should believe in ourselves because we have a sterling record. Over the last 10 years, we have awarded more than $3.6 million to hundreds of grant-seeking dental organizations that provide dental care for underserved patients in many countries where PFA Sections exist. In those 10 years, about 800 scholarships of $1500 each have been awarded to a junior dental student in every U.S. dental school and in 18 countries. All of this is done with a tiny overhead budget using just one part-time employee and a total operating budget of just $77,000. This year our awards totaled about $440,000.

Why should a foundation with all that money need to ask for donations? The IRS demands that we award 5% of our fair market value, which is $7.2 million. Since our investment portfolio, which is in long-term mortgage-backed securities that now average a 6.5% earnings, has a higher market value than our initial value, we are pressed to meet that 5% requirement. If we fail to meet that requirement, we are taxed at double the rate. That would be a waste of funds. And beside that, the funds go for a greater cause that dentists identify with.

Past PFA President Dr. Larry Barrett of Davenport, Iowa, heads the Committee that is currently finalizing all the details about the program, which will be announced soon in our own Dental World. We do not have the manpower resources to conduct a full-scale fundraising drive, so we will depend on our own members and their friends to support this low-overhead effort.

Academy members have been generous with their contributions of $20 that are asked for with their dues. This new effort asks for larger donations, such as bequests, charitable remainder trusts, in-kind gifts, etc. These may be donated as a memorial or as a tribute to some person for a special reason. The gifts may be restricted, if the donor chooses. The first big gift to our Foundation, a bequest, was donated 10 years ago by Dr. Fernando Brenes-Espinach of Costa Rica in the amount of $5 million. He had the confidence that his life savings would be used wisely for philanthropy. He was correct.

Treasurer-emeritus George Higue has for 10 years paid the salary of our accountant, Maria Bustamante. This is an example of an in-kind service. These non-cash gifts demonstrate a high measure of local support, which is evidence of the merit of our program. We are really grateful for their support, and we seek others.

In a later article, we will detail some of the volunteer efforts of some of the heart-rending providers of charitable dental care.

Canada

International Trustee Barry Dolman and Fellow Denis Forest are working on the Quebec coordination for the FDI World Congress to be held this August in Montreal. Dr. Dolman is arranging a Section Meeting and Induction of new members to celebrate the event. All PFA Fellow are invited to attend. Montreal is the largest French-speaking city in North America, and is the second largest French-speaking city in the world. Dr. Dolman invites the membership up to enjoy the romance of Quebec’s largest metropolis.

Guatemala

Fellow Ivan Moldauer led a dental mission into the jungles of Central America to provide basic dental care to a remote village.

India

While in India, our President Kevin Roach and Joel Ublansky met with a third-generation self-taught marketplace dentist in Jaipur, India.

L-R, Dr. Joel Ublansky, the marketplace dentist, and President Kevin Roach

Chair Branislav Dastevski and Serbian Chair Dragoslav Djukanovic attended the IX Dental Congress of the Balkan Stomotological Society held in Ohrid, Macedonia.

Japan

The Induction Ceremony took place at the Awards Luncheon during the 35th Annual Meeting of the Japan Section in Tokyo last October. About 100 Japanese Fellows and eight Fellows from the Korean Section attended. Trustee Mamoru Sakuda explained what is the PFA Hall of Fame and the role of its committee. He conveyed the message from Chair Raymond Klein, past PFA President, and introduced the Committee’s presenter, past PFA President Minoru Horiuchi. Dr. Horiuchi had nominated Dr. Morinosuke Chiwaki, the first Japanese dentist to be so honored. He also recalled that in the days when the Awards Luncheon had been the Memorial Luncheon, Dr. Chiwaki had been honored in 1993 as a great world leader in dentistry. A brochure in Japanese was distributed that outlined Dr. Chiwaki’s career.

Dr. Yukitaro Sakakibara, Professor-emeritus of Aichigan University and an old alumnus of the Tokyo Dental College, delivered a speech about Dr. Chiwaki’s pioneering work for modern dentistry in Japan. The Hall of Fame Award plaque was presented to Dr. Yuzuru Kaneko, President of the Tokyo Dental College, by Dr. Horiuchi. An identical plaque will also be placed at the Samuel Harris National Museum of Dentistry in Baltimore, Maryland, and in the Musee d’ Art Dentaire Pierre Fauchard in Paris.

The Certificate of Merit was presented to Dr. Yoshio Kaneda, past Chair and Honorary Member of the Japan Section, by Trustee Mamoru Sakuda

After the Awards Luncheon, the Induction Ceremony for new Fellows was held. Scientific and cultural lectures were given to the Fellows gathered at this Meeting. They were delivered by Dr. Norio Nakabayashi, a recipient of the Michinosuke Nakayama Memorial Award, and by Ms. Chieko Fujiwara. The banquet followed.

Before the event, on 29 October, at the banquet of the 20th General Meeting of the Japanese Association for Dental Science, Meeting President Professor Kazuhiro Eto, Dean of Dentistry for the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, provided Dr. Horiuchi with an opportunity to talk to the some 500 participants about PFA, the International Hall of Fame, and the honor bestowed upon Dr. Morinosuke Chiwaki. A Japanese brochure about Dr. Chiwaki was distributed at the banquet by Dr. Horiuchi.

L-R, Presenters Trustee Mamoru Sakuda and past PFA President Min Horiuchi

Republic of Macedonia

Chair Branislav Dastevski and Serbian Chair Dragoslav Djukanovic attended the IX Dental Congress of the Balkan Stomotological Society held in Ohrid, Macedonia.