MOHAVE COUNTY – Dental hygiene students from Mohave Community College helped children at the 2022 BHHS Legacy Foundation Tri-State Backpack Buddies event on Tuesday, July 12 in Bullhead City at Anderson Fieldhouse.

Backpack Buddies helps provide home, health, and back-to-school essentials to children in the Arizona, California, and Nevada tri-state area. Donated items include shoes, school uniforms and hygiene supplies.

Students from the MCC dental program have been attending the event for seven years and enjoy teaching children about proper dental care.

“I love the activities we’ve done with them, like teaching them the importance of brushing their teeth and seeing them excited about the things they’re given to start their first day of school,” said Eduardo Ortiz, a Dental Hygiene Student at MCC.

Tracy Gift is the director of MCC’s dental hygiene program and one of the event coordinators. Dental students participate as part of their service-learning project. The students prepared bags with health items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste and dental floss, which were provided by the Delta Dental Foundation.

Gift said dental students have the opportunity to interact with children from a variety of backgrounds, which is a benefit when training to become medical professionals.

“This event is important for our students because when they enter the profession they will be working with children from all kinds of backgrounds, so this event is a great exposure to what they will experience in the profession,” said Gift.