While ARTS is "silent" during Covid, we hope you will use your voice and vote on or before November 3rd.
ARTS is not a political organization, but we believe in the strength of connection and communities to build a brighter future. That strength is fueled by participation - by you.
We believe in using the tools available to you to make the world a better place; that's why ARTS was founded! Voting is an incredible tool, and it CAN change the world.
Thank you for your continued support. We hope you are all healthy and safe and have made a plan to vote! Visit www.hrc.org/vote for more information on registration and voting policies in your state.
The ARTS Team was devastated to have to cancel our trip to Uganda in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we were also determined to find a way to continue helping people take better care of their teeth.
With the support of our loyal donors and local liaisons in Uganda and Senegal, we have been working on hygiene videos translated in Luganda and Pulaar to share as widely as possible in the areas we usually visit in person. This is a big change for an organization founded on the core value of face-to-face interactions and building relationships with individuals from other cultures, but what videos inherently lack in individuality, we hope they make up for with their ability to reach more people.
The videos are slated to be released in the next two weeks, so we encourage you to stay tuned to our Facebook and Instagram pages for more. Like most of the world, ARTS remains in a holding pattern. Nothing can replace the impact of providing direct care and education, so we will continue to monitor the situation to see when and how we will be able to safely return to doing what we love - helping people without access to dental professionals achieve and maintain a higher level of oral health.
Thank you for your continued support!
Headed Back to Uganda
In just a couple weeks our team along with a new group of volunteers is headed to Uganda to provide much needed free, emergent dental healthcare and dental hygiene education to underserved communities. We’re excited to say this trip’s volunteer team is coming together from across the globe, and from a variety of occupational backgrounds, so we have an incredibly diverse team joining us this year.
We’ve partnered with local Ugandan organization, Tasaaga, to provide clinics across the country from the Ssese Islands in Lake Victoria to Mayuge, East of the Nile River – and many in between. We’ve targeted these communities as they have shown to be in the most need, and access to dentists in these villages are not only out of reach – but travel and time are a huge prohibitive factor for the residents of these communities. Visiting a dentist may take hours, and sometimes days, of travel so we are excited to be able to offer our services. Picture to come in our next report after the trip!
Building Our Board
ARTS’ Board of Directors is now open for new members for the 2020-2022 term! We are seeking 1-2 new Board Members for this term.
Board of Directors are not required to have any dental education or experience – just a passion for helping underserved communities, for healthcare, and a willingness to help the organization grow. If you or anyone you know may be interested in joining our Board, please let us know directly at contact@artsmile.org. You may also visit https://www.artsmile.org/boardinfo to view our Board Requirements ahead of time.
Gearing Up For Senegal
Upon our return from Uganda, we will be jumping head first into preparations for our next trip – to Senegal, where we are headed this September. We have already partnered with the Peace Corp to assist us in reaching the villages in Senegal, through the Sahal Desert, most in need of our services. If you are or anyone you know is interested in potentially joining us in Senegal this September, please contact us at contact@artsmile.org, or fill out a volunteer interest form at https://www.artsmile.org/volunteer-application.
BRÜUSH Your Teeth For ARTS
ARTS has once again partnered with electric toothbrush company, BRÜUSH, for the year 2020! This year, for each Replacement Brush Head Kit purchased, BRÜUSH will donate a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a fluoride treatment to the ARTS program so assist us in serving the hundreds of patients across Uganda and Senegal that will receive free dental care from the ARTS team. Be sure to check out their line of electric toothbrushes today. And yes… our team will vouch for them! All of our staff now have BRÜUSH’s, and we all love them!
Stay tuned via our Facebook, Instagram, and webpage for pictures and updates!
We are humbly grateful for your continued support. Cheers!
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Hello, ARTS family! We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Below are a few updates, which were also included in our recent newsletter. If you read that already, thank you and have a lovely day! If not, see below!
ARTS is proud to announce that we were awarded the 2019 Gold Seal of Transparency on GuideStar, the world's largest source of information on nonprofit organizations. The Gold Seal means we are good stewards of the financial gifts we receive and are making an impact in the communities we serve. We are thankful to all of our supporters for allowing us to make this impact!
We are also looking to add a few board members in 2020, so if you know anyone who is interested in contributing to our work, please send them our way. Board members are key to shaping the future of our organization. At the moment, that future includes the upcoming trip to Uganda, March 19-29, 2020!
ARTS is gearing up for an amazing trip to locations where people do not have regular access to dental professionals and are in dire need of emergent care and hygiene education. This trip will build upon our ongoing efforts to work with local leaders and health officials in support of sustainable improvements to the population's oral health. We are actively seeking volunteers to join our team and make a difference!
Stay tuned via our Facebook, Instagram, and web pages for pictures and updates!
We are humbly grateful for your continued support. Cheers!
Volunteer with ARTS! Join us October 10th - 20th for an amazing trip to Uganda and help ARTS reach people who don’t have regular access to dental professionals. Learn more at www.artsmile.org
ARTS has had a busy summer and continues to empower African communities without access to dental professionals and push for higher levels of oral health in rural areas.
Earlier this year ARTS welcomed two new team members. Michaela Rawsthorn joined the team bringing social media and communication expertise to ARTS. This summer she has been growing the impact of ARTS by recruiting more volunteers through social media. In addition to Michaela, ARTS also welcomed Lucy Green. Lucy brings a deep understanding of program management to ARTS. This summer she has been supporting the planning of the annual trips to Uganda and Senegal. She created an online application for ARTS volunteers to improve and streamline the application process. She also created a new information packet that has been attached to this report.
In June, ARTS held its annual fundraiser through Global Giving. The fundraiser was a success, raising almost $6,000 in just two weeks. ARTS is thankful to all its donors for their sustained support. Due to the successful fundraiser, ARTS was able to become a permanent partner on the Global Giving platform, gaining access to helpful resources for international organizations.
A challenge ARTS faced this August resulted in postponing the September Senegal trip. Due to complications with the Senegalese Ministry of Health, ARTS was forced to postpone the annual trip. However, ARTS views this challenge as an opportunity for growth and has been working on strengthening its relationship with the Ministry of Health.
ARTS is excited for it’s upcoming trip to Uganda in October. We have a team of volunteers ready to bring much needed dental care to rural communities but are actively looking for one or two more volunteers!
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Project Reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
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