ADHA Access — August 2012
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Leadership Message
Limitless Opportunities
How can something as exhausting as CLL be so energizing at the same time? The early mornings, tightly scheduled days and event-filled evenings of our annual meeting in Phoenix have propelled me into the summer with a momentum fueled by enthusiasm for our profession and eagerness to address the changes and challenges ahead.
There will be celebration ahead, too! We have officially begun celebrating the 100th anniversary ofthe dental hygiene profession with the theme "100 Years of Dental Hygiene: Proud Past, Unlimited Future." Our calendar is bursting with anniversary-themed programs alongside the business ofthe association, and the excitement grows stronger every day. Although our suitcases are barely unpacked from a very successful CLL in Phoenix, the 90th CLL in Boston is already showing every sign of being the biggest dental hygiene event in history, combining the quality you've come to expect with some surprises you would never, ever have expected! Ifyou aren't planning to attend, or ifyou haven't decided yet, please take a moment to imagine yourself in the company of hundreds and hundreds of your professional colleagues from around the country, celebrating side-by-side the proud past ofdental hygiene and contemplating the limitless opportunities waiting for you—whether to claim them, discover them or create them. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime event, and it is for you.
Between now and then, there is much to do at all levels ofthe association. In August, I will travel to headquarters in Chicago for administrative meetings, and in September, ADHA's board will meet for strategic planning. Have you read the 2012-2015 ADHA Strategic Plan? You can download it from the "About ADHA" section of www.adha.org, the first document under "Governance." Given the busy schedules most dental hygienists have, it might be easy to overlook activities like that, easy to say that strategy is the board's responsibility, the councils' responsibility—it doesn't affect me directly, or at least not the same way the responsibilities on my own professional to-do list affect me. Fair enough, there is only so much time in the day, and while you are reading this, "Helping dental hygienists to achieve their full potential as they seek to improve the public's oral health" is the first item in the strategic plan. It is ADHA's core ideology, and it is for you. Does it relate in any way to any of the responsibilities on your own professional to-do list?
October is National Dental Hygiene Month, once again providing an excellent opportunity for consumer outreach in ways large and small. Be sure to watch www.adha.org for information and materials you can use in your NDHM observations. In fact, be sure to keep an eye on ADHA's website this fall, as major changes are coming that will make it easier to use. Councils will meet in October, too. Can you name ADHA's councils? On the ADHA website, a few items down from the strategic plan I mentioned earlier, there is an organizational chart that lists them all. Ifyou have never thought about volunteering for a council or committee, whether on the national level or for your component or constituent, I would like you to think about it now.
It was 12 years ago when I was approached to run for president-elect of the Washington State Dental Hygienists' Association. Until that time, it never entered my mind. I didn't think it was something I was ready for. But someone else did think I was ready. That was all it took ... someone to just give me a little nudge. From that point, I was hooked. I have found that being a leader in the local, state and national organizations is very rewarding, and I am very proud of my accomplishments so far.
Volunteering does mean giving up time and energy to a cause, but those of you who already do it know that once you find the right volunteer outlet, the rewards more than repay your efforts. ADHA offers a wealth ofopportunities to participate in the unlimited future ofdental hygiene. During this centennial celebration, ifyou haven't already done so, set a little time aside to think about the right outlet for your unique personality and talents. And ifyou have already done so, think about giving a fellow professional just a little nudge.
How can something as exhausting as CLL be so energizing at the same time? The early mornings, tightly scheduled days and event-filled evenings of our annual meeting in Phoenix have propelled me into the summer with a momentum fueled by enthusiasm for our profession and eagerness to address the changes and challenges ahead.
There will be celebration ahead, too! We have officially begun celebrating the 100th anniversary ofthe dental hygiene profession with the theme "100 Years of Dental Hygiene: Proud Past, Unlimited Future." Our calendar is bursting with anniversary-themed programs alongside the business ofthe association, and the excitement grows stronger every day. Although our suitcases are barely unpacked from a very successful CLL in Phoenix, the 90th CLL in Boston is already showing every sign of being the biggest dental hygiene event in history, combining the quality you've come to expect with some surprises you would never, ever have expected! Ifyou aren't planning to attend, or ifyou haven't decided yet, please take a moment to imagine yourself in the company of hundreds and hundreds of your professional colleagues from around the country, celebrating side-by-side the proud past ofdental hygiene and contemplating the limitless opportunities waiting for you—whether to claim them, discover them or create them. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime event, and it is for you.
Between now and then, there is much to do at all levels ofthe association. In August, I will travel to headquarters in Chicago for administrative meetings, and in September, ADHA's board will meet for strategic planning. Have you read the 2012-2015 ADHA Strategic Plan? You can download it from the "About ADHA" section of www.adha.org, the first document under "Governance." Given the busy schedules most dental hygienists have, it might be easy to overlook activities like that, easy to say that strategy is the board's responsibility, the councils' responsibility—it doesn't affect me directly, or at least not the same way the responsibilities on my own professional to-do list affect me. Fair enough, there is only so much time in the day, and while you are reading this, "Helping dental hygienists to achieve their full potential as they seek to improve the public's oral health" is the first item in the strategic plan. It is ADHA's core ideology, and it is for you. Does it relate in any way to any of the responsibilities on your own professional to-do list?
October is National Dental Hygiene Month, once again providing an excellent opportunity for consumer outreach in ways large and small. Be sure to watch www.adha.org for information and materials you can use in your NDHM observations. In fact, be sure to keep an eye on ADHA's website this fall, as major changes are coming that will make it easier to use. Councils will meet in October, too. Can you name ADHA's councils? On the ADHA website, a few items down from the strategic plan I mentioned earlier, there is an organizational chart that lists them all. Ifyou have never thought about volunteering for a council or committee, whether on the national level or for your component or constituent, I would like you to think about it now.
It was 12 years ago when I was approached to run for president-elect of the Washington State Dental Hygienists' Association. Until that time, it never entered my mind. I didn't think it was something I was ready for. But someone else did think I was ready. That was all it took ... someone to just give me a little nudge. From that point, I was hooked. I have found that being a leader in the local, state and national organizations is very rewarding, and I am very proud of my accomplishments so far.
Volunteering does mean giving up time and energy to a cause, but those of you who already do it know that once you find the right volunteer outlet, the rewards more than repay your efforts. ADHA offers a wealth ofopportunities to participate in the unlimited future ofdental hygiene. During this centennial celebration, ifyou haven't already done so, set a little time aside to think about the right outlet for your unique personality and talents. And ifyou have already done so, think about giving a fellow professional just a little nudge.
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