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Show i Your weekly newspaper OLUME 98 NO. 19 Local ESemitiDsti, May 12, 2005 IheOps nrotteimaftiioinisiDDy When most patients see Dr. Chris Vernon, they normally feel hesitant, because, its the Dentist. well, However, when he, along with three of his assistants traveled to the Dominican Republic, in an effort for humanitarian aid, they seemed to welcome him with open arms. Vernon, a visibly modest man, has an office in Magna, located at 3441 South, and 8400 West, has been a dentist in the Magna area for 15 Years, felt th?.t there was a need for dental work in impoverished areas of the Dominican Republic. We went out, took a big generator, and three of my assistants and did as much dental work as possible. Most of his patients, he encountered, had never been to a dentist, and he, along with his assistants, saw dental problems that ranged from decayed, to abscessed teeth. Camie Dr. Layton, Vernons newest assistant, was noticeably enthused by her experience. The patients are so different, it was hard for him (Dr. Vernon,) to pick and choose what he needed to do, because he wanted to fix everything. Understandably, Layton felt that the whole experience was humbling, adding that, it was difficult to leave at the end of the day. It was a great feeling to know that someone is going to go to bed that night without their tooth hurting, said Layton. Vernons other assistant, Kelcie Rogers agreed with in the difficulher of leaving. As, he and his ty assistants did everything by sunlight, because the doors were closed at sunset. If we were able to get lamplight, we would have stayed and worked thought Said Kelcie the night. Rogers. Because of lack of light, Dr. Vernon and his assistant Kelcie Rogers perform dental work by flashlight. You want to do more, you have to leave, but leave feeling like you with more to do. It was most rewarding thing Ive ever done. Added Rogers. Dr. Vernon, along with Kelcie and his other assistant Melanie Rogers have all gone to the Dominican Republic two times, and plan to return. As for assistant, Camie Layton, this was her first time. I plan on going back, if but you left the we can; it was an incredible experience. Said Layton. Melanie Morgan, Dr. Vernons most seasoned, assistant was also happy to return. I thought it was great to go into a more rural area. The last time we went, it was in a city and I feel that this second trip was much different. Morgan went on by saying, In the rural areas they were more humble and grateful for the work. There are so many stories of how thankful the people were. said, Melanie emotionally. other Among things Melanies ward had also helped their journey, by donating clothes and washcloths. When Dr. Vernon and his staff returned, they were all unanimous in thought, that the people were grateful for their service. As for the time spent apart from their families; Dr. Vernon, who to anyone walking into his office will notice his love for his fami internationally recognized program set up to help those without glasses obtain glasses that are donated throughout the U.S. and other countries. Through SightFirst, Lions have restored sight or prevented serious vision loss for 24.6 million people worldwide. All of this began in 1925 when Helen Keller Paving operations on the Design-Buil- d Project will soon be underway, beginning on the p 1 westbound to Redwood Road and the from Redwood westbound to Road the ramp Following paving operations, traffic SR-20- off-ram- on-ra- SR-20- 1. his gone for it knows that was for family a good cause. Its hard leaving, because I have small children, but they understand two-week- s, www.utahhumanities.org. Or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Vernon, call him at 250-020- 3. Cyprus student receives Challenge of Encellence and the Granite School District, gram pro- of Youth Recognition, they honor at annually least one young person from Cyprus, Kearns and Taylorsville High Schools the with A . C . E . Award. The letters stand for Accepting Dr. Vernon in the Dominican Republic with another satisfied customer. agna Lions OluEi sponsors Hite Gone Days The Lions White Cane The Days have arrived. White Cane Days, is a program within the program, SightFirst. SightFirst, is an ly, felt that although he was In er 1 Im doing it. Melanie Morgan was also thankful for her husbands help caring for her ailing father while she was gone, adding, I dont think he realizes how helpful he was to me. When it comes to the impact of their journey, Dr. Vernon knows that it was a big one. We saw severe poverty stricken areas, as far as economically. They had no treatment at all. Dr. Vernon and his staff plan to go again, yet its a waiting game, as funding is at times difficult to obtain. For more information about his trip or other dentist in your area helping to aid those in other countries, check out the Utah Humanities council at why by ALICIA CICALESE Assistant Editor SR-20- iiHgsrEsrpn was a guest International at the Lions Convention at Cedar Point, Ohio. She appealed to the Lions to become Knights of the Blind, in a crusade against darkness. Each year the Magna Lions take Helen Kellers challenge to heart. May is White Cane month and Utah Lions solicit funds and collect serviceable used glasses during this drive. Saturday, May 21st will be the Magna Lions White Cane Day. At the day of the update will be switched to the newly paved ramps so construction of the collector distributor ramp and structure can begin. The reconstruction of Redwood Road includes widening from two to three Please turn to UPDATE pg. 8 drive, you can find the lion members located at Reams and Smiths from 10:00 a.m., to 6:00 p.m. and at the Magna Liquor Store from 12:00 p.m., to 6:00pm. It will be easy to identify us as we will be wearing our gold vests with our Lions logo and holding a jug for donations. These donations provide glasses for approximately 15 to 20 individuals yearly in the Magna schools and to Magna citizens that find themselves financially unable to purchase them. Our White Cane drive is only successful because of the generosity of Magna citizens. If you cannot give a penny, give us a smile or a wave. Remember, we will also be collecting used glasses. These glasses are recycled and used in developing countries to provide a better quality of sight to those less fortunate. Dont forget May 21, 2005 from 10:00am to 6:00 p.m., at Reams, Smiths and the Liquor Store, right here in Magna. & lift ftl w h e t Excellence. of Challenge To qualify, the school counselors must choose a senior student who will be graduating this year, but the student had to overcome some obstacle in order to do it. This year the district chose, Megan Mikkelson. Megan, who is a senior attending Cyprus High School, has been a very capable student who has overcome some major obstacles to get where she is today. Megans mother graduated from high school in Korea. Her father joined the military and finished his schooling there. Megan has an older brother and an older sister who dropped out of high school and did not finish. Megan did fairly well in ninth and tenth grades, but she did fail classes both years. In eleventh grade her schooling took a significant nose dive and she only received 2.75 credits for the whole year. She should have earned seven or more credits to stay on track for graduation. Megan feels that was the most depressing stage of her life. She began dating guys Megan Mikkelson who made her feel that she was worthless. She began and was school sluffing hours or more working thirty each week. Megan decided at the beginning of her twelfth grade year to quit her job and get back on track for graduation. She quit dating loser guys and began concentrating on her academics. Megan has passed all of her classes all year (for the first time in her high school career). She has attended Afternoon School at Cyprus almost every day, for two hours every day, Monday through Thursday, all this school year long in order to make up all of her deficient credits. Megan has learned who her true friends are. She is excited to go to college and plans on attending Salt Lake Community College, then plans to transfer to Weber State or another college to finish a degree in the Forensic Science area. She told her counselor that one of the reasons she wants to graduate is to see her mother shed tears of joy. Megan has definitely started a new tradition in her family. |