University of Rochester Pre-Dental Club
Volunteering Resources
One of the most important aspects of constructing a well rounded dental school application is volunteering. Here are some resources to get active in the Rochester community while building your resume as well!
SMILEmobiles
This program is dedicated to providing oral health care to underserved communities.
UR Campus-Community Bridge
U of R Center for Community Engagement website has 10+ opportunities to volunteer!
Dental Public Health Volunteering
This is a Dental Public Health Residency Program but Dr. Gajendra is willing to provide volunteering experience for students.
City of Rochester
Volunteers help make the City of Rochester the best it can be for both residents and visitors!
Habitat for Humanity (Greater Rochester)
Construction:
Habitat aims to provide houses and homes for those who are economically disadvantaged. Construction volunteering is where you actually help build the house. Shifts are 7 hours long from 9am to 4pm. There is a licensed professional who leads the team of volunteers and instructs them on how to perform the days’ work. It is very fun, very rewarding, but can be challenging. You can also learn a lot of useful skills such as how to properly hammer, how to use a power blade or power drill, how to install railings for staircases, how to frame a house (literally build the walls), install siding, and much more.
ReStore:
One of the ways Habitat funds their work is through their ReStores. These places sell all kinds of home products and furniture that are all donations. As a volunteer, you help the staff with collecting donations, cleaning items, pricing them, organizing merchandise, and keeping the store tidy. Shifts are only 3 hours long and can be 10am-1pm or 1pm-4pm, or both to make it 6 hours.
Friends of Strong
This is the volunteering a lot of UofR students utilize. Friends of Strong is located at the Med Center and as a volunteer, you work with them to determine where you are placed and when you volunteer. They will try to coordinate volunteer positions with your interests, such as pediatrics, geriatrics, psychology, etc. You commit to volunteer for 3-4 hours a week. The shifts themselves are typically 3-4 hours each, so you only volunteer once a week.
Rochester General Hospital
Very similar to Friends of Strong responsibilities, except just a different hospital with a different staff/patient dynamic. Must fill out an online application, be interviewed and must commit 3-4 hours a week for 3 months.
FoodLink
Volunteers can serve as donation sorters and assist with sorting food donations and packing them into boxes so they can be distributed to families in need.
National Susan B Anthony House & Museum
Volunteers can give tours of the museum, work a customer service position at the front desk, and work on the grounds doing gardening work. If interested contact inspire@susanb.org.