THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 14, 1994 TAG: 9408150041
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY NANCY MCWILLIAMS, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: KILL DEVIL HILLS LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines
A dental hygienist who donated a week's vacation to clean children's teeth in a poor village in Costa Rica is ready to go again.
Nancey Atkinson has traveled frequently as a tourist and on business, but the Costa Rican trip in July has made her determined to make a similar ``mercy mission'' somewhere else and take other local volunteers with her.
Atkinson signed on as a volunteer through Rotary International after she met a dentist who'd gone on a similar trip. ``The idea that someone living in a small town in North Carolina could make a difference in somebody else's life'' appealed to Atkinson immensely. ``Rotary's motto is `Service above self,' and it seemed a fulfilling thing to do,'' said the five-year member of the North Banks Rotary Club.
Atkinson spent a week in La Fortuna, Costa Rica, with other volunteers in the group Options, a part of the Peace Corps. A La Fortuna native who is now a pediatrician in Florida put the trip together. Atkinson was the only dental hygienist in the 50-member volunteer team. ``There were doctors, lawyers and Indian chiefs,'' Atkinson said, stressing the fact that not all volunteers had to be medical personnel.
Children in the small agricultural village were in need of dental checkups; most had never received tooth care. Atkinson said the children lined up each day to get their teeth checked, and they came wearing their Sunday best.
Each day from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Atkinson and the other volunteers saw about 300 patients, using the local school as their headquarters.
Everything was donated, and services were provided free to the Costa Ricans. Atkinson's travel expenses were picked up by Rotary Clubs of the Outer Banks. She took her own dental instruments, and bought small prizes such as bracelets, toy airplanes and rings to give to the children after she worked on their teeth.
Although the team members had never met before the trip, Atkinson said they bonded quickly. ``We had nothing in common except the desire to help the kids of La Fortuna,'' she said. ``It was like we had all met in a previous life; we were the best of friends.''
After 10 days in Costa Rica, Atkinson said she still knows nothing of the countryside. ``I know dirty teeth,'' she said. ``I never even got to the bank to exchange my money.''
But working was the reason for her trip. ``It's satisfying to know you've helped somebody else,'' she said. ``Every time some little kid hugged you, it made you think it was all worthwhile.''
Atkinson fondly recalled being ``tipped'' with mangoes, papayas and avocados by appreciative Costa Ricans.
A full-time dental hygienist for Dr. Jeff Jacobson, Atkinson, 47, also owns a paint store in Kitty Hawk. She's active with the Alligator River Wildlife Refuge, Hotline and Habitat for Humanity.
``If everyone would just do a little something, they would feel better about themselves. Not that it would change the world, but it would be a little step. There's so much you can do.'' by CNB