By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Dr. Norma and Paul Desjardins were recognized as the 2013 Citizens of the Year at the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner, held Jan. 23 at the Presque Isle Inn & Convention Center. “In 2010, Dr. Norma and Paul Desjardins formed a non-profit corporation with the vision of opening a dental clinic in Presque Isle to serve the under-privileged children of Aroostook County who otherwise would not be served or would have to travel to Bangor or farther to see a dentist,” said Stacy Shaw, outgoing CACC president.
The idea for a clinic was born, following a meeting with officials from the Aroostook County Action Program.
“After attending an ACAP meeting that focused on the difficulty of obtaining dental care for local children from low-income families, Norma began writing grant applications and making presentations to local groups to raise the necessary funds to establish St. Apollonia Dental Clinic,” said Shaw.
Shaw explained that the facility is named after “a martyr who died in the year 249.”
“Apollonia had all her teeth knocked out after being hit in the face by a Christian persecutor under the reign of Emperor Philip. After she was threatened with fire unless she renounced her faith, Apollonia jumped into the flames voluntarily. She is considered the patron saint of dental diseases,” he explained.
Shaw said Dr. Desjardins soon began taking time from her own busy dental practice to devote one day a week to getting the low-cost clinic up and running.
“St. Apollonia hired its first dentist in 2012. The operation runs with a dental hygienist, dental assistant and a pediatric dentist. This staff treats a variety of ages but predominantly serves children younger than 10, which allows them to focus on education and prevention. With an estimated operating cost of $350,000 per year, St. Apollonia, Paul and Norma are not without ongoing challenges,” Shaw said.
“They have poured their hearts and souls into this project, and their own personal finances as well — a truly admirable accomplishment with absolutely no personal benefit to them, other than the satisfaction of helping these children. My hope is one day when these children are adults, they will understand exactly what it took to make this happen for them,” said Shaw, reading from the nomination form.
Dr. Erik Johnson, the pediatric dentist working with the Desjardins at the clinic, spoke next.
Johnson said the familiar story of “if you feed a man a fish he’ll eat for a day, but if you teach a man to fish he’ll eat for a lifetime” is reflective of the Desjardins and how they handle each day.
“They’re really good mentors, both on the dental health and practice management sides,” said Johnson. “I’ve learned a lot from her. I’m fortunate to have her and Paul as mentors.”
Johnson said it was important to establish a clinic in Aroostook County.
“It’s good for the kids up here. It’s a wonderful service they’ve (the Desjardins) created. They’ve made great strides the last two years,” Johnson said. “They’re really deserving of this honor for the great thing they did.”
Sen. Troy Jackson and Mike Willette, on behalf of his son, Rep. Alex Willette, were on hand to present the Desjardins with a Legislative Sentiment to mark the occasion.
“It’s always a pleasure to recognize people who are behind so much in The County. My kids grew up with theirs. It’s great to see the Desjardins recognized for sharing their time and resources and talents, particularly with the youth of The County,” said Willette.
The couple also received congratulatory letters from Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King, and Congressman Mike Michaud.
