Speaker: Dr. Margaret Gingrich, DDS, MDA Member-Dentist
Dr. Margaret Gingrich, DDS: Hello, my name is Margaret Gingrich and I'm a general dentist that practices in Big Rapids, Michigan. I was a former president of the Michigan Dental Association in 2019 to 2020, and I have been a donor to the Michigan Dental Association Foundation since 2011.
Why is dental health important to you?
Dr. Margaret Gingrich, DDS: Dental health is important to me because I grew up and practice in a small rural town in Michigan. I have seen how poor dental health can affect children as they grow up and how they go to school. It also affects adults in trying to get jobs and maintain jobs. Dental health is very important to me because I believe it is part of the overall body and health and well being, and unfortunately, in Michigan, we do have holes in our safety net. The Michigan Dental Association Foundation is there to help close some of those safety net gaps and give access to care to those who can't afford it.
How did you first become aware of the MDA Foundation?
Dr. Margaret Gingrich, DDS: I first became aware of the Michigan Dental Association Foundation when I was in dental school and I was an ASDA member. At that time I knew scholarships were offered to students, but I was not a recipient of any of those. I then became more involved with the Foundation when they decided to start doing the Michigan Dental Association Mission of Mercy. They started asking questions in 2011 and I saw a worthy cause that could give access to care to many of our underserved residents in Michigan. And it prompted me to start donating. Since then, I have seen how this access to care has helped thousands of individuals. It has also helped students with their education and it's helped underserved students be able to get access to testing and other things. And therefore, I choose to donate to the Michigan Dental Association Foundation every year.
Why did you decide to support the MDA Foundation?
Dr. Margaret Gingrich, DDS: I started donating to the Michigan Dental Association Foundation when I got involved with the Mission of Mercy. I saw that the mission of Mercy was something that dentists could offer for all people in michigan, that we're not getting caught by the safety net and didn't have access to care or needed help with having access to care. Since then, I have seen many other worthy causes that the foundation are involved in and I continued to support the foundation because they donate to programs such as Profiles For Success for students, offering scholarships and donating to clinics that help the underserved. And I will continue to donate to the Michigan Dental Association Foundation because I believe they are good stewards of my money.
