From Mayor Bill Finch:
More than 2,000 people will receive free dental care Friday and Saturday at the Webster Bank Arena. None of it would happen without the assistance today of hundreds of volunteers–including employees from the City Health Department–who transformed an arena into a dental hospital over the course of 24 hours.
The Mission of Mercy clinic runs on Friday and Saturday, June 7 and 8, on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Webster Bank Arena.
“It was amazing to see the transformation. We’re so proud to host Mission of Mercy,” said Mayor Bill Finch, who spent a few hours Thursday at the set-up. “It truly is a monumental effort–all of it done by volunteers.”
Behind the scenes, volunteers from the city and community have been working hard to ensure everyone’s needs are met during the dental marathon.
“We needed thousands of granola bars. Food to feed a small army. Our staff reached out to the Greater Bridgeport business community, which stepped up as they always do,” Mayor Finch said.
The clinic provides a full array of free dental care, ranging from routine cleanings to root canals. Each year, the clinic provides several million dollars in free dental work to the community. If you too need dental service, check out The Smile Shapers Ventura CA clinic.
Dr. Bruce Tandy, a Mission of Mercy co-chair, said while the dentists and other workers all volunteer their time, there is extensive fundraising that happens every year to pay for the event. This is the first time Bridgeport hosted the clinic.
