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Hagerstown Hip Hop artist Spence performed Saturday for the huge crowd gathered at Convoy of Hope at the Hagerstown Fairgrounds Park. (By Joe Crocetta/Staff Photographer) |
As a periodontist, Dr. Rebecca Wagner Bye knows the repercussions of dental neglect.
She has had to counter the effects of gingivitis among teenagers and the lack of flossing among adults.
But Saturday, she saw people too busy finding ways to put food on the table to even worry about oral hygiene.
For the past four years, Bye has had a rare window on the toll poverty — and sometimes fear — plays on a person's mouth.
She has seen individuals suffering from infections, decay, burning gums and ulcers who rely on aspirin to ease their pain.
Others have teeth that are blackened and crooked.
Many have not been to a dentist in decades.
It is the desperate need for dental attention that keeps her coming back each year to volunteer her time and services to thousands of people attending the Convoy of Hope at Fairgrounds Park in Hagerstown.
At this year's event, Bye was the team leader for an army of area dentists and hygienists who filled a tent providing free care to people with oral-health issues.
"We expect to see at least 2,000 people today," Bye said. "Many of them have been living with discomfort for a long time."
The two most common areas of concern, she noted, were periodontal disease and dental decay.
Like a giant MASH unit, tents set up across the park grounds provided a variety of free services through Convoy of Hope, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes churches and groups to help make a difference in their communities.
"The purpose is to bring hope into the lives of people who don't have any," said Curt Snyder, pastor of Life House Bethel and coordinator of the local Convoy of Hope.
"It's also a way to unify the community to help its own," he said.
Snyder said more than 60 churches and about 100 organizations, businesses and sponsors came together to make Saturday's event possible.
"It's all local, all volunteer," he said. "We had about 1,700 people lending a hand this year."
Snyder estimated that about 5,000 people attended Saturday's Convoy of Hope.
"The first year, about 2,300 people showed up," he said. "Each year since, the numbers have increased. Part of it is being able to get the word out. But also, there is a greater need."
Snyder said the Washington County poverty statistic is about 10 percent higher than the national average.
She has had to counter the effects of gingivitis among teenagers and the lack of flossing among adults.
But Saturday, she saw people too busy finding ways to put food on the table to even worry about oral hygiene.
For the past four years, Bye has had a rare window on the toll poverty — and sometimes fear — plays on a person's mouth.
She has seen individuals suffering from infections, decay, burning gums and ulcers who rely on aspirin to ease their pain.
Others have teeth that are blackened and crooked.
Many have not been to a dentist in decades.
It is the desperate need for dental attention that keeps her coming back each year to volunteer her time and services to thousands of people attending the Convoy of Hope at Fairgrounds Park in Hagerstown.
At this year's event, Bye was the team leader for an army of area dentists and hygienists who filled a tent providing free care to people with oral-health issues.
"We expect to see at least 2,000 people today," Bye said. "Many of them have been living with discomfort for a long time."
The two most common areas of concern, she noted, were periodontal disease and dental decay.
Like a giant MASH unit, tents set up across the park grounds provided a variety of free services through Convoy of Hope, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes churches and groups to help make a difference in their communities.
"The purpose is to bring hope into the lives of people who don't have any," said Curt Snyder, pastor of Life House Bethel and coordinator of the local Convoy of Hope.
"It's also a way to unify the community to help its own," he said.
Snyder said more than 60 churches and about 100 organizations, businesses and sponsors came together to make Saturday's event possible.
"It's all local, all volunteer," he said. "We had about 1,700 people lending a hand this year."
Snyder estimated that about 5,000 people attended Saturday's Convoy of Hope.
"The first year, about 2,300 people showed up," he said. "Each year since, the numbers have increased. Part of it is being able to get the word out. But also, there is a greater need."
Snyder said the Washington County poverty statistic is about 10 percent higher than the national average.
