HELPING WITH DENTAL HEALTH: Princeton High sophomore Avery Peterson will bring toothbrushes and toothpaste to a rural village in Peru when she visits through the Creating Ties program this summer. After viewing photos of villagers and noticing they were in need of dental care, she contacted local businesses and got some help with her cause.

For the past 12 years, Princeton High School Spanish teacher Martha Hayden has been taking students on summer trips to her native Peru through the independently sponsored program Creating Ties. The goal is twofold: To teach students about the culture of the country, and to involve them in community service.

All the students — 18 this year — travel together with Ms. Hayden for a week. A smaller group, led by John Witherspoon Middle School teacher Carolina Montoya Mondragon, stays for an additional week, living with families in small rural villages and contributing to the community through building projects, teaching, agriculture, and other activities.

For the students who participate in only the first week of the trip, there is a day devoted to community service. But those able to take part in the second half of the program make the strongest connections, getting a chance to immerse themselves in the local culture. Avery Peterson, a 16-year-old PHS sophomore, is one of the students among those on this year’s trip.

As someone interested in public health and social sciences, Ms. Peterson has been thinking for some time about how she could contribute to the general health of the rural village she will visit. She decided on dental care, and she has enlisted the aid of some local businesses in her mission to teach the importance of dental health to the villagers. Church & Dwight, Princeton Orthodontics, and Princeton Dental Group are supplying Ms. Peterson with toothbrushes and toothpaste to take with her on her trip.

“I thought I would definitely want to make the trip very impactful,” Ms. Peterson said. “I wanted to have something that would change their lives. There are lots of communities and places that are impoverished and they don’t necessarily have the best dental hygiene. Bad teeth leads to bad health, and bad gums lead to gingivitis, which leads to further diseases.”

During a checkup with her orthodontist, Dr. Jonathan Nicozisis, Ms. Peterson told him about her idea. He immediately gave her 200 toothbrushes to take on her trip. She sent an email about her plan to Princeton Dental Group, which donated 50 toothbrushes and dental floss. Ms. Peterson made her connection with Church & Dwight through Matt Wasserman, whom she knew through a friend. Mr. Wasserman works for the company and also chairs the Princeton Environmental Commission.

Mr. Wasserman was happy to help out, arranging for Church & Dwight to donate two boxes full of toothpaste and toothbrushes. “Church & Dwight and its employees take seriously the importance of CSR, Corporate Social Responsibility, and have made it a core tenet to support the local organizations that help the less fortunate and other people in need,” he said in an email. “While Peru isn’t exactly local, Avery certainly is, and as such the Arm & Hammer Oral Care marketing team was thrilled to be able to support her in this wonderful service project.”

Ms. Hayden is impressed with her student’s resourcefulness. “Avery’s idea was wonderful,” she said. “She saw pictures of kids who had a lot of issues with their teeth. They don’t have a lot of water yet, and they don’t clean their teeth regularly at all. They lose teeth at an early age. So she will teach them oral health. We’ll also do it for adults. She did this all on her own, and I’m very proud of her.”

The students, who will depart for Peru at the end of June, have good Spanish language skills. Before the trip, they are learning about the culture of the Incas and Peru. In addition to the dental care products being brought by Ms. Peterson, those staying on for the second week will bring games, crayons, toys, balls, and other items that are not accessible.

“The community service part has been wonderful for the kids,” said Ms. Hayden. “A lot of them go back during their college years or gap years. I think it changes the way you look at the world. It makes you understand that there are little things you can contribute that mean so much. It builds social conscience and it’s life-changing.”