Our mission
To deliver healthcare to underserved communities internationally, with a primary focus on providing dental care to those who cannot afford or access such services. In the future, we aim to collaborate with other healthcare professionals to deliver basic family medical aid, including healthcare for young women, family planning education, and nutritional counseling.
Principal objectives
Alleviate dental pain and infection
Restore dentition through various dental procedures.
Distribute toothbrushes and toothpaste to patients and the community.
Short-term objectives
Provide dental restorations including white and silver fillings.
Perform simple and surgical tooth extractions to mitigate serious health consequences due to infection.
Conduct endodontic treatment (root canals) for anterior and bicuspid teeth.
Offer simple and comprehensive teeth cleanings (dental scaling).
Educate communities on the consequences of overconsumption of dietary sugar and lack of proper oral care.
Distribute healthcare aids for young women, including family planning education and nutritional counseling.
For one week, some of the most marginalized people in the Americas, received first class dental care by a team led by Dr. Laurie Houston and her charity CanHelp Through HealthCare.
Providing care to over 50 patients […] improved those lives for ever, with a ripple effect of dental health education for families and neighbours. […] The professionalism, dedication and kindness of the dental team was inspiring.
—Ricardo Ramirez, Volunteer Interpreter and Administrator for Patient Intake
Long-term objectives
Create sustainable relationships with multiple communities.
Return to the same communities annually, biannually, or semiannually.
Provide both dental and basic healthcare education.
Improve personal nutritional and healthcare practices in the communities we serve.
Facilitate long-term partnerships with like-minded individuals or organizations to enhance project sustainability.
Provide simple dental prostheses to improve self-esteem and restore smiles.
Our team
Dr. Laurie Houston
Laurie Houston graduated from the dentistry program at the University of Toronto in 1985 and ran her own solo practice in Bracebridge from 1987 until 2012. She currently associates in a dental practice in Orillia part-time and provides dental services once a month for an Indigenous community in the Georgian Bay region. Laurie has also worked in Remote Indigenous Communities in Northern Ontario.
In her community, Laurie served on the board for Muskoka Family Youth and Child Services and South Muskoka Memorial Hospital. She is currently the President of Muskoka Simcoe Dental Society and a member of The Council of the Ontario Dental Association.
Since 2012, Laurie has participated in over 20 international volunteer dental projects, personally organizing and leading the last four. She has also been involved in local volunteer dental initiatives in Toronto, Haliburton, Barrie, and Orillia. Laurie organized a Free Dental Day for women from local shelters at the Orillia office where she currently associates.
Our board
Our board of directors is a small, committed group of volunteers with legal and fiscal expertise and extensive board and volunteer experience. We maintain minimal administrative expenditures and aim to keep project fees for volunteers as low as possible. We are committed to a healthcare at First World standards, including proper infection control, sterilization of instruments, and the use of current materials within expiration dates. Fiscal transparency and accountability are essential in our initiatives. We partner with like-minded individuals and organizations in the communities we serve to facilitate logistics and communication, intending to develop long-term relationships.
Frank Vagnoni
Frank Vagnoni has lived in the Muskoka area ( Bracebridge then Gravenhurst) since 1987. Frank is a past president of Muskoka Youth and Child Services, and has been an examiner for the College of Dental Technologists. He operates his own dental laboratory business and concentrates on implant restorations, crown and bridge prostheses, as well as partial and full dentures.
Perry Varney
Penny Varney originally trained in nursing, worked in many hospitals during her career, specializing in psychiatry. For 48 years, she and her husband Tony owned and operated Gravenhurst Pharmacy. In the 1990’s she trained as a goldsmith, ran her own art gallery in Gravenhurst for many years, and continues to create innovative jewelery. She has been a very active community member for Gravenhurst, in both the arts and community charity work. Currently, she continues her role as a municipal town councilor, which she has been doing since 2018.
Hillary Clark Cole
Hilary is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto. She has earned her livelihood as a professional metal sculptor in Muskoka for over three decades. Her recent works include a community war memorial on Walker’s Point, Muskoka, and a granite and steel monument to honour the Survivors ( and those who did not survive) institutionalization at the Huronia Regional Centre, a provincial institution for the mentally handicapped in Orillia, Ontario. Hillary is an active member of the Muskoka Arts and Crafts Council. She has travelled extensively; her travels in Ecuador were to observe the efforts of Street Kids International ( now under the umbrella of Save The Children).
Kyle Moorhouse
Kyle is the Branch Manager of Scotiabank in Gravenhurst. He is currently a member of Rotary Club of Gravenhurst, involved with the Chamber of Commerce, and has supported Junior Achievement. Kyle is passionate about the outdoors, and spends most of his free time on the water in Muskoka or Algonquin Park.
Georgie
Georgie does his best job to elevate our day-to-day operations with his pawsitive attitude and calming presence. He is the perfect morale booster for our team and is loyally committed to warmly welcoming and supporting good people who are committed to doing good work.
