Jul 20, 2016

Local Teen Shares Enthusiasm for Dentistry With Others

Aspiring dentist Jessica Schlaen, 17, recently shared her passion for good oral health by distributing teeth-cleaning supplies and teaching the importance of proper brushing with children in Miami’s partnership city of Yerucham, Israel. Schlaen, who started an organization called Sparkly Smile, collected more than 800 toothbrushes, tubes of toothpaste and packages of dental floss from Miami-area dentists’ offices. When her family visited Israel earlier this summer, she brought the items, along with her dental hygiene knowledge and enthusiasm, to share with elementary school students and the Community Dental Clinic in Yerucham.

Schlaen, a student last summer at the Greater Miami Jewish Federation-funded Alexander Muss High School in Israel, first visited Yerucham with her parents and three sisters a few years ago as part of a Greater Miami Jewish Federation Family Mission to Israel. In Yerucham, a city located in the Negev region, Jessica met with first- and second-graders at Meuchad School and demonstrated proper brushing and flossing techniques, and distributed her supplies. A trained dental hygienist also came to the school that day and Jessica’s presentation made a big impact on the young students. Later, the Schlaen family and the school’s principal visited the dental clinic for low-income Yerucham residents.

Here at home, Schlaen also has visited Immokalee and shared her Sparkly Smile message and dental supplies with migrant workers who have had little or no other contact with dental care. She has also joined her family for Federation’s Super Sunday and December 25 volunteer days, organized by the Jewish Volunteer Center.

Jessica’s parents, Fernando and Iris, are actively involved in Federation, and participated in the 2012 Mega Mission to Israel.