Meet the Dental Hygiene students of CCBC!

Championing Change in the Oral Health Work Force

The Jon C. Burr Foundation's initiatives are designed to confront the challenges in dental care. These initiatives embody our commitment to fostering a more inclusive and accessible dental care landscape. Through education, advocacy, scholarship opportunities, and policy reform, we will empower individuals, dismantle barriers, and shape a future where everyone enjoys equal access to quality dental healthcare. Our flagship initiative, The Oral Health Scholar Program, stands as a catalyst for change, poised to address the critical shortage while bolstering trust, compliance, and access among minority populations nationwide within 8-10 years.

The Oral Health Scholar Program is dedicated to cultivating the next generation of professionals. In 2023, a pilot program was launched at Baltimore Maryland CCBC to test our concept and execution. Learn we did! We learned what works and what doesn’t in community recruiting and how challenging the process is for underfunded and unsupported students, contributing to a high attrition rate. Nevertheless, we were able to support four students who would not have completed the program and establish an emergency fund for the entire class.

Meet Brionna Burris, MPA, RDH, Program Director of the Dental Hygiene Program at CCBC-Dundalk Campus, one of the few Black or African American dental hygiene faculty members—a statistic highlighted by the American Dental Association (ADA) in its 2022-2023 report (only 5.4% of dental hygiene faculty are black or African American).

Introducing CCBC RDH graduates class of 2024!

Countless minority students encounter financial challenges, often unable to afford their final semester's tuition. The foundation intervenes, ensuring they can finish their education. Their success stories are not isolated incidents; many minority students confront comparable obstacles, with limited resources frequently resulting in elevated dropout rates. A single setback, such as a car repair or illness, can disrupt their academic path. Acknowledging this pressing issue, we offer emergency funds to aid students in crisis, striving to diminish dropout rates and elevate them from minority status to the middle class.

Letters from Scholarship Applicants

We are honored to share with you excerpts from heartfelt letters from scholarship applicants, each one a testament to the profound impact of The Oral Health Scholar Program. These excerpts offer a glimpse into the aspirations, challenges, and determination of individuals striving to pursue their dreams in dental hygiene education. Through their voices, we witness the transformative power of education and the vital role scholarships play in shaping the future of oral healthcare.

  • "Thank you for awarding me a scholarship this year. I will use it to the best of my ability for my future. I will make you proud...."

  • "A letter will never be enough to really say how I feel about this help!... I have exhausted all other scholarships opportunities and FASFA loans, making affording this last semester before graduation that much more difficult."

  • "Thank you again for this wonderful act of kindness, and you have my deepest gratitude... without your help would have had to leave the program this year"