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Bonnie Jan Brezoff Wray, was appointed president of the Utah State Dental Asssistants Association in October 2007 after 30 years of working as a dental assistant. She teaches dental assisting at Davis Applied Technology College in Kaysville, Utah where she and her husband, Dr. Sydney E. Wray of 25 years, currently reside.
Jan has been actively involved with fund raising for humanitarian causes for the last 15 years. She has been extensively involved in many humanitarian efforts and served as a key member of several influential philanthropic groups. She was a former board member of The Children's Justice Center, and was instrumental in the completion of the facility. She was also the former president and current member of Soroptimist International of The Americas, a philanthropic group of professional business women supporting the battered women's shelter, the Davis County Food Bank, and providing scholarships for women furthering their education. Recently, the Bountiful, Utah chapter of Soroptimist's International chose the Bulgarian Union Soroptimist, Plovdiv chapter (in Bulgaria), as their sister club. This will entail working closely with the Bulgarian Union on projects, both in America and Bulgaria.
Jan is half Bulgarian and still has family residing in parts of Bulgaria. After touring many orphanages in Bulgaria she has an even stronger desire to help the orphans there. In the Fallof 2006, Jan campaigned for One Heart Bulgaria for donations of 300 infant sleeper pajamas and sweat suits for the orphans. She ended up collecting 1,500 pairs.
Because of Jan's extensive background in dental assisting, she is currently focusing her humanitarian efforts on the dental needs of the orphans in Bulgaria. In September 2007, she organized and recruited 5 Dentists, 6 hygienists, and 4 auxiliary personnel, to go with her on One Heart Bulgaria's first dental humanitarian trip to Bulgaria. They were met by One Heart Bulgaria's field director, Nikolai Gavazov and many interpreters who volunteered their time. The Bulgarian Soroptimist chapter also participated by donating lunches for the team and 500 dental hygiene kits for each orphan patient were supplied by Girl Scouts of America. Local missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints also participated by sterilizing instruments, maintaining the clinic area, helping the children, and interpreting. Dentists and assistants treated a total of 500 orphans. The trip was so successful that One Heart Bulgaria plans to make this an annual event (to find out how to get involved or donate to this program, please contact Jan at oneheart@oneheart-bg.org).
Jan's hobbies include cooking, gardening, traveling, reading and going to the movies. She and her husband have 8 children, 23 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
"Of her humanitarian work with One Heart Bulgaria, Jan comments," I am thrilled to be working with an organization that is made up of such high quality members--both in America and Bulgaria--who truly have the best interest of the orphans at heart".
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