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The Egan family and dental students pose during the grand opening of the Smiles of Hope Dental Clinic in the Dominican Republic.

Courtesy Kelly and Michelle Egan

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One of the orphans served by the Smiles of Hope Dental Clinic smiles while receiving dental care.

Courtesy Kelly and Michelle Egan

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Michell Egan works with students at the Smiles of Hope Dental Clinic in the Dominican Republic.

Courtesy Kelly and Michelle Egan

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Kelly and Michelle Egan pose with students at their Smiles of Hope Dental Clinic in the Dominican Republic.

Courtesy Kelly and Michelle Egan

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Kelly Egan works with students at the Smiles of Hope Dental Clinic in the Dominican Republic.

Courtesy Kelly and Michelle Egan

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The Egan family.

Courtesy Kelly and Michelle Egan

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Darrel Hammon

Courtesy photo

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Kelly Egan, a Utah dentist, fell in love with Haiti when he served a church mission there. He loved the people and the language and decided that Haiti and using Creole would be part of his future. “Since returning from my mission, I have felt an obligation to help Haiti,” said Kelly. “There were so many sad situations there, and I wanted to help in some way.”

But life and dental school clamored for his attention. Once out of dental school, Kelly began volunteering for a variety of dental humanitarian groups, including those working in bateyes (settlements) where many Haitians lived and worked in the sugar cane fields in the Dominican Republic.

Both Kelly and Michelle, his wife of 30 years, are also consultants for Paparazzi Accessories that does humanitarian work primarily in the DR. Their first trip there with Paparazzi was a service trip in 2015 to Niños de Cristo (Children of Christ), an orphanage in La Romana. They fell in love with the children, many being Haitian. At that moment, Kelly and Michelle decided they wanted to do something for the orphanage.

Along came 2020 and COVID. Many of the corporate sponsors of the orphanage pulled out, which left the orphanage in a dire situation.

“They only had a couple of weeks’ of supplies left,” said Michelle. “The directors of the orphanage called the children together and said a prayer for hope.” Soon, their prayers were answered when the founders of Paparazzi, Trent and Misty Kirby, heard about their plight and came in and fully supplied the orphanage with all they needed to operate. Since then, they have continued to support it and allowed it to become more successful than ever, including expanding the number of orphans it can support.

Kelly went to the founders and asked if he could build a dental clinic in an existing space within the orphanage. They graciously obliged, and Kelly and Michelle created a dental clinic complete with two new dental chairs, digital X-ray machine, a sterilizer and other supplies, including a free dental patient-tracking software package donated by DentiMax — all to help the current 120 children, 60 girls and 60 boys, and staff at the orphanage.

“This clinic needed to be up to American standards,” explained Kelly, “long-term and available to those who could not afford dental work. We opened the dental clinic to help the children.”

The dental clinic became a reality with its grand opening in January. The dental clinic is called Sonrisas de Esperanza Clinica Dental (Smiles of Hope Dental Clinic).

Kelly and Michelle go to the clinic four or five times per year to do dental work. They are currently setting up a 501(c)(3) foundation called Hope Smiles Inc. They do not want the dental clinic to sit empty when they are not there. One goal for the dental clinic is to provide space for other dentists to come to La Romana and have access to American-standard dental equipment and provide consistent dental care to those who cannot afford it.

They have enlisted the help of Dr. Alexandra Suazo, an in-country dentist who owns a small one-chair clinic and a dental school faculty member at a nearby dental college, as the director of Smiles of Hope Dental Clinic.

Currently, Dr. Suazo works at the dental clinic three days per week, training 16- to 18-year-old orphans to become certified dental assistants at the dental clinic. “These students help in the orphanage clinic as interns, so they do not have to leave the orphanage when they age out,” explained Kelly. “Once certified, they can work for pay.”

Additionally, through Paparazzi, other students work toward obtaining jobs in the tourism sector. Some students have obtained jobs in the La Romana community and jobs at the Hilton La Romana.

“We believe that education is the only way for them to be successful. We want to give them a skill they can use when they leave the orphanage,” said Kelly and Michelle.

One positive that has come out of working with people who cannot afford dental care is inviting people like Karen Timothy and Melissa Webster of Eagle Condor, a humanitarian organization that does dental and medical trips. “Eagle Condor came for a site visit and decided they would be returning in November with two groups to do some humanitarian work in the bateyes,” said Kelly excitedly. “Soon, we hope to bring them in for dental and medical projects.”

Kelly and Michelle’s volunteer dental experience has been rewarding. “It’s the children,” they said. “As we kept going back, they began to trust us. Now, when we walk in a common area, you can literally hear them yelling and calling out our names. It’s been absolutely amazing.”

At first, the children did not exhibit trust because of the trauma they had experienced. Many of them were afraid to reveal their Haitian descent and their ability to speak Creole. “We now sponsor four of the boys: LeLe, 15; Frances, 17; his brother Miquelito, 7; and their cousin, Jeffrey, 13,” said Michelle, beaming. “They are part of our family.”

For Michelle, the difference she has made and continues to make is within herself. “They have given me a whole new perspective on the world,” said Michelle. “They are inspiring when we hear their stories. All they want is to be loved. I am in awe of them.”

While there have been challenges with getting the pieces of equipment into the country or working around governmental rules, one of the biggest challenges is wanting more for the children.

“We wish we could be there for all of them, hug them and take them all back home,” lamented Kelly. “But we know we cannot.”

For several years, Kelly has been haunted by Luke’s words: “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” (Luke 12:48)

“When I see how much I have been given and see that these orphans have grown up with nothing, I see they are happy. When you walk into the orphanage you feel you are walking on holy ground.”

Kelly and Michelle have five fabulous boys, three of which are married. They love taking vacations with Paparazzi as a family. They call it vacationing with a purpose. On one such vacation to the Dominican Republic, they were able to help paint one of the orphanages and paint a basketball court in downtown La Romana.

When they first started going to Niños de Cristo, the Egan boys became close friends with many of the orphan children. When they were asked what they wanted to do for the rest of the vacation, the Egan boys said they wanted to go back to the orphanage to spend time with the children.

“Our boys have deep connections with the orphans,” said Michelle. “Now, when we go back, the orphan children ask where our boys are. They call each other brothers.”

The Egans’ children and their own families are continuing the humanitarian tradition and have gone to the DR to help. They have worked together as a family on many projects to get the clinic up and running.

For Kelly and Michelle, things have just fallen into place as they continue the DR dental project. “Everything that has happened was meant to happen. We are just glad to be instruments in making it happen,” explained Kelly. “We want to do more and continue our efforts, especially helping people understand that we are blessed by doing what we are doing.”

Kelly and Michelle hope that others can visit the orphanage. “We know when people visit the orphanage, it can be a life-changing experience,” said Michelle. “Don’t worry about the language barrier. They know a little English, but they will find a way to communicate with you.”

The amazing part of having families visiting and participating in humanitarian projects together creates experiences they cannot have at home. “If you are a parent and you want your kids to know how many in the world live, then come and help,” said Kelly. “The experience will completely change their perspective on life. Plus, they will see the love and happiness that the orphans have for others.”

People can help in small ways. “Most of the people who live where we live have no idea,” said Kelly. “By donating a mere $30 per month, you feed and board one of the orphans. For $60 per month, you provide room and board and school for an orphan. Think of it as improving the life of one child. Even if you have no money, you can always give love and your time.”

If people would like to donate or volunteer to help or are dentists who would like to participate in a dental humanitarian trip, please connect Kelly and Michelle at 801-726-4806 or email kegansprint01@gmail.com.

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