Medical Outreach in Bakersfield: Volunteering Can Be a Family Affair

When dentist Phu Truong was invited to volunteer his skills at a dental outreach, it started him on a whole new path in community service.

Now, in Bakersfield, CA, he and his family volunteer regularly at Tzu Chi’s dental outreaches, which provide free dental care from volunteer medical professionals to uninsured or underinsured populations. Volunteers from his family alone include his wife, his sister-in-law, and two teenage daughters, An and Tu Truong.

An recalled that “my dad would always come home and he would talk about… it was such a rewarding experience working at Tzu Chi.” While the inspiration from her dad got her started, she also reflects on how providing critical services have benefitted her own spiritual growth:

“I think what really drew us to Buddhism was the values that it emphasized—so, like, compassion, empathy, and love… not only do we develop and we grow it in ourselves, but we’re able to spread that through, for example, Tzu Chi medical outreaches and help in giving access to health care.”

Meet the Truong family and witness how they practice compassion in action. And, support programs like dental outreaches at donate.tzuchi.us/cause/gift.