California
Local Hero: Dr. D.

Dr. D. has been in general practice in the midtown area of Sacramento for 34 years. “I see a big cross section of people,” he says, “everyone from kids all the way up to the elderly. One of the neat things is that I get a chance to meet so many different kinds of people.” Dr. D., who also volunteers for Smiles for Kids (the Sacramento Dental Society’s initiative for Give Kids A Smile), has volunteered for DDS from the time the program began in California in 1995. Like other DDS volunteers, he praises the organization’s efficiency and coordinating skills. He’s also delighted by the opportunity to reach out to needy clients. “So many of them are really nice people who are down on their luck,” he says. “By doing some restorative work, we really change their smiles, and it seems to change their personalities. They became much more outgoing and happy, whereas before they were shy and afraid.” His fellow Rotarians tell Dr. D. that he’s lucky to be a dentist because he can quantify his volunteer efforts. “It’s a good heartwarming feeling for me to be able to help people,” he says. “You always get paid no matter what—sometimes you get money. With DDS, by the time I’m finished, I feel tremendous satisfaction.”