Bright Star Dental

Bright Star Dental food drive benefits Gospel Rescue Mission

The totals are in for the Bright Star Dental food drive benefitting Gospel Rescue Mission. Patients, staff and the public donated 297 pounds of food in the month-long drive that will be used to create food boxes and feed the hungry at the mission. In addition, $1,125 in cash was donated to help with other needs at the shelter.

Dr. Brian Gilbert, owner of Bright Star Dental, said, “It was amazing. We just put the word out and people began bringing in food and cash. We’re so glad to be able to play a part in supporting Gospel Rescue Mission.”

In 2010, Bright Star Dental held a silent art auction and food drive, with all proceeds going to Gospel Rescue Mission.

Bill Wheeler, the executive director of Gospel Rescue Mission, came to Bright Star Dental to receive the donations. He was very grateful for the generosity of the public in helping them to support the needy in the community.

Gospel Rescue Mission served 39,963 meals in the first half of this year, up over 3,300 meals from the same time last year. In addition, they served 774 more hot meals in July 2011 than in 2010. The mission provides hot meals three times a day and food boxes to anyone in need.

While the Bright Star Dental food drive is now over, Gospel Rescue Mission can always use your help. Donations are gladly accepted at the facility located at 1050 W. Amador. Fresh fruits, vegetables and meats as well as non-perishable items are needed.

Bright Star Dental, located at 2010 E. Lohman in Las Cruces, also holds the annual Halloween Candy Buy Back (scheduled this year for Nov. 1 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.), Dentistry From The Heart in February, and funds scholarships for five graduating high school seniors planning to study health care.

Hello! My name is Jaron Cadena and I am a senior at Las Cruces High School. Some of my hobbies include playing football, watching sports, take part in community service through the National Honor Society at LCHS, hanging out with friends, and going to my youth group at Calvary Baptist Church. During my high school years, I played football for the Bulldawgs as a linebacker and fullback. As a person, I am very dedicated and work hard at everything I do. I am also respectful and courteous and have been taught by my parents to have good manners. I love to serve others before myself because it brings joy to my heart to see others happy and doing well. I have recently been accepted into the UNM/NMSU pharmacy program where I will study and finish my prerequisites at NMSU for 3 years, and then go to graduate school at the College of Pharmacy at UNM. If I complete my schooling, I will receive a Doctorate of Pharmacy which is my plan from here in terms of working in the medical field.

When I was in the 8th grade (2006), I was diagnosed with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes. It was very hard to adjust to changing my eating habits, checking my blood sugars on a regular basis, and taking insulin shots, but I was able to fit it into my daily life and still be successful making good grades, playing sports, and maintaining myself as a diabetic. Due to being diagnosed as a Juvenile Type 1 Diabetic four and a half years ago, I was inspired to become a pharmacist and to work in the medical field.

One of my inspirations to become a pharmacist is Charles Walgreen who was a famous pharmacist. After serving in the Mexican-American War where he was diagnosed with malaria and yellow fever, Walgreen eventually bought a drug store in Chicago in 1901. He expanded it, and made his drugstore into the common Walgreen’s store that is around to this day. He has shown me that a person with sicknesses can still achieve great things if they work hard at it.

Famed football coach Lou Holtz from the University of South Carolina once said, “Without self-discipline, success is impossible, period.” Every day I live by this quote from what I have been taught. Throughout middle school and high school, I have always been pushed by my parents to not quit and to pursue excellence in academics, the National Honor Society, and on the football field. In high school I have achieved a 3.97 GPA while being challenged by taking a variety of AP and honors courses. Last year I was able to achieve my athletic goal of becoming a starting varsity football player after working hard for it the previous three years. In the National Honor Society, I have been taught that helping others should always come before helping myself. All of these require a lot of self-discipline and dedication. Without either, I wouldn’t have been able to take part in or achieve these school activities or in life as a whole. I always have set my goals high and I put one hundred percent effort in whatever I do.

I have taken both honors biology and chemistry and excelled in both courses. I understand that the challenges in science are yet to come, but I feel that I am ready for that endeavor and will finish strong in these courses that feed into the pharmacy program at the University of New Mexico. I will give the same efforts and strive to be an excellent student in college as I have in high school.

Every day I develop, becoming a better man and person by what affects me. The more I mature, the higher I set my goals for my future. Becoming a diabetic and going through its experiences throughout my life has inspired me to advance the healthcare of diabetes and even to find a cure for diabetes. This is one of my professional goals that I hope to accomplish as a research pharmacist in the near future. I know that it will not be an easy task, but I know that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. Finding a cure to Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes is something I personally have wanted to accomplish ever since I was diagnosed.

From an academic standpoint, I feel that I am well prepared and have set my goals high for what is coming up in my next chapter in life. The many AP and honors classes have challenged me and have also taught me to challenge myself. Someday, I hope to be able to achieve my goals to help make the world a better place to live in. I appreciate the Bright Star Dental Healthcare Scholarship for giving me an opportunity to reach my future goals. Thank you for considering me.

My desire to enter the medical profession occurred early in my high school year. During my Freshman year, while exploring possible careers in my early teen years, I was diagnosed with Pectus Excavatum—a rare chest deformity. I started having breathing problems when I started participating in longer running events in track and field. To improve my breathing, I had to undergo major surgery. My family and I went to UCLA Medical Center for this specialized surgery. This experience was life changing for me. I first-handedly saw the medical atmosphere of doctors and nurses full of passion and purpose. Everyday, these individuals would wake up knowing they were going to make an impact on peoples’ lives. I was truly inspired by the care I received and the passion my doctor and other medical professionals had about their jobs. It was during this time that I decided I wanted to make the same impact and become a professional in healthcare. When I came back home and fully recovered, my breathing improved substantially. This confirmed to me my aspirations to become a doctor—perhaps a surgeon.

As soon as I returned to school, I enrolled in many Science classes and took the most rigorous schedule I could. I have taken accelerated math classes since sixth grade and am taking Calculus III at New Mexico State University under the dual credit program. My current GPA is 3.96. I also joined many clubs like National Honor Society, Student Government, and Key Club. I enriched my summers with leadership camps such as the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine at UCLA and the National Hispanic Institute. Both of these programs inspired me to become an activist in my community and to help others. After these inspiring programs, I decided to take leadership in my school and was elected Spanish Club President and a Senior Class Public Relations Officer. I enrolled in the first community service class my school offered and accumulated 150 hours of service at the Alameda Elementary after-school program. The following year, I took a job-shadowing class at Las Cruces Surgery Center where I was able to observe many surgeries. I got a feel for the atmosphere and learned close up how Science is actually incorporated into everything. This is when I started to find the human body fascinating and became excited about majoring in Biology or Biochemistry.

It was at this time that my grandmother suffered from a heart attack. While she was in the hospital for over a month, I found myself once again surrounded by the same medical atmosphere. I was so inspired and actually emotionally connected with the services done for my grandma that I immediately filled out a volunteer form and began working at the Memorial Medical Center Emergency Room on Saturday mornings. As soon as my grandmother came back home, my sister who is only twenty-nine years old was diagnosed with oral cancer. Needless to say, it has been very difficult in our household but the one thing that remains true for me is how my personal experiences have directed me toward a medical career.

As I exit my Senior year and head off to college, I am motivated to achieve my professional goal of becoming an expert and leader in the medical profession. I want to become a doctor. Perhaps I will be a surgeon, maybe a cardiologist, possibly an oncologist. Whichever specialty I choose, I know I want to make a positive difference just like those medical professionals who have made a positive impact in me and my family’s lives.

My name is Jessica Rhodes. I am a senior at Mesilla Valley Christian Schools and have been a student there all four years of high school. Throughout my high school career, I have been involved in many school activities that kept me busy year round including: varsity basketball, varsity volleyball, praise team, and National Honor Society. I was honored to be a captain for both volleyball and basketball my junior and senior year, and was able to act as a mentor and role model for the younger girls on my team. Outside of school, I am very active in my church youth group and am very family oriented. I am also a co-founder of a service and mentoring group for younger girls called Leading Ladies. Balancing all of these things has allowed me to mature, gain responsibility, grow spiritually, and has helped shape me into the young lady I am today.

“Making a difference” and “Helping others” is what came to mind when I decided what career path I wanted to follow. I hope to eventually have a career as a Physical Therapist and also be a personal trainer. I needed physical therapy a few years ago for my back because I have scoliosis and it changed my life. I was able to have relief from the constant pain in my back for the first time in a long time. I want to be able to change others people’s lives, rehabilitating them and getting them back into action.

I work at Southwest Sport and Spine, a physical therapy clinic, in the Health and Wellness Center. This job has allowed me to surround myself with another aspect of healthcare, personal training. My supervisor creates an individualized work out plan for each of the members in the Health and Wellness Center. It fits their individual needs and works them to their personal limit while keeping their plan flexible if any changes need to be made. The clients, a slightly older crowd, are so dedicated to making themselves healthier that it inspired me to work in both areas of the spectrum, physical therapy and personal training.

I have been accepted to Pepperdine University and Abilene Christian University as an undergraduate student in Exercise Science and Sports Medicine. I chose these two schools for their reputation of educating the whole person and the excellent resources and faculty they have in these areas. After my undergraduate training, it is my dream to earn a doctorate in physical therapy and work with individuals of a variety of ages, needs, and income. I look forward to the opportunities and challenges that this career will provide.

I was recently able to put my thoughts about this career into writing. I would like to conclude my application by sharing this with you:

I give to you a healing woman.

One who will take you to examine.

She’ll take you into her office so clean.

In those blue eyes you’ll find nothing mean.

Brown soft locks shape her sweet face,

Signs of injury, she’ll leave no trace.

Her caring nature one can see.

Gentle and loving to patients in need.

Voice outspoken, but words thought out,

There is none with whom she’ll shout.

Her skin is like the golden sun.

Tall and toned shows she can run.

Quick on her feet she has to be,

There is much she has to oversee.

Providing athletes with detailed instruction,

To help them get back to proper function.

Her gentle touch can take away pain,

But she’ll be in no want of personal gain.

Talents, skills, and enthralling charm,

This lady can handle any alarm.

Thank you for considering my application! I will be grateful for any support you will be able to provide for my healthcare career.

Bright Star Dental of Las Cruces recently held a silent auction to benefit Gospel Rescue Mission, offering art by Dr. Brian Gilbert, Brian Fallstead and Alice Terry. The event raised $2,015 to support the efforts of the non-profit that provides services to those in need throughout the Mesilla Valley. In addition, the visitors to the auction contributed several large boxes of food for the mission’s food pantry.

Dr. Gilbert came up with the idea for an art auction as part of the preparation for moving to his new building, which took place in early August. “We wanted to do something to contribute to the community and decided that the Gospel Rescue Mission was the organization we wanted to support. I’m pleased that so many people bid on the art, enabling us to facilitate a donation of over $2,000,” Gilbert said.

Bill Wheeler, Executive Director of Gospel Rescue Mission, said, "This year the mission has experienced a significant increase in the number of mothers with small children needing emergency shelter, food and clothing compared to the last two years. We praise God that your auction gift has come at a time when our year-to-date donations have taken a big drop. It is incredible."

In addition, Wheeler pointed out that as of three months ago, their income was down $22,000 compared to the same time the previous year, but thanks to support such as this from Dr. Gilbert and those who bid on the art, they are now only $3,000 short of last year’s income.

Bright Star Dental holds a number of community-minded events each year, including Dentistry From The Heart in February and the Halloween Candy Buy Back. It is located at 2010 E. Lohman, in the former Blockbuster Video location.