Giving Back
Mission Trips AbroadVanuatu Trip
March, 2026
Last year, Dr Corey I. Johnson’s youngest daughter, Annika, took part in a youth oral hygiene trip to the South Pacific island of Vanuatu, organized by the family church, The Orchard in Carbondale.
This year, Dr Johnson, his wife, Amy, and seven others returned to the island for a dental outreach mission, deepening their connection to the wonderful people of this island community.
Over the course of five very long and meaningful days, the group was able to treat over 100 patients who might otherwise have never had the opportunity to see a dentist.
To read more about their trip, click on the following article published in the Post Independent of Glenwood Springs.
“I feel really blessed to be in a profession that sees relatively quick results. If someone has a toothache, we can treat that tooth. In this case, pretty much everything we did was extracting. We had people who were in pain for up to seven years, and to be able to help them out of pain and have a small impact on their lives was really special.”
Dr Johnson
No borders between healthcare: Roaring Fork Valley providers cross borders to deliver care in Vanuatu
Vanuatu Trip
Spring, 2025
This past spring, a group of ten High School students from the Youth Group of Orchard Church were led by Dr. David Courson, Mandi Read, and Caleb McDaniel to the islands of Vanuatu on a mission trip. The goal of our mission was to deliver the Good News to as many people of Santo Island as possible. We accomplished this through the donation of oral hygiene supplies (generously supplied by Sunlight Dentistry), children’s toys, and water filtration systems to the local tribes.
To each tribe we visited, we gave the Chief, children, elders, and any other tribe members who were present a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss. One of our missionary students would then give a lesson on how to effectively use the oral hygiene products as well as the water filtration system, which was gifted to the village Chief for the use of his tribe as a whole. After the presentation, our groups would hand out toys such as foam airplanes, pool noodles, and balloons, and then present a fun Bible story to the children.
The tribes we visited are at least an hour and a half long truck ride from any marketplace to buy essentials, such as toothbrushes and toothpaste. For many villages out in the bush (the depths of the jungle) have to hike for days just to get to the nearest town. While the gifts we brought may seem basic and are widely overlooked in our first-world lives, the tribes that we visited received them with joyous welcome and excitement. No amount of words can prove the good works of Faith or the love of God like acts of service.
Due to the kindness of Sunlight Dentistry and their generous donation of all oral hygiene supplies, along with the Orchard Church’s investment in the other gifts and missionaries, our mission was able to change hearts! In Pelmoli village, not only do tribe members get to brush their teeth using real toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss (in place of coconut husks), they also get to attend the new church being built at the heart of their village.
Grenada Trip
August, 2022
Sunlight Dentistry was thrilled to send Dr Johnson, his daughter, Kaitlyn, and his son, Brady, on a rewarding dental service trip to sunny Grenada, in the Caribbean.
For one week they were privileged to join a team of other dentists, assistants, and support staff to provide free dental care to as many local patients as possible. The hosting organization, Great Shape – 1000 Smiles, had commandeered the National Cricket Stadium and set up a sort of temporary field hospital for this focused week of dental care.
Due to limited resources, volunteers could only perform fillings and extractions, but were still met with an abundance of gratitude for what care could be provided.
“Something that stood out to all of us was how kind and genuine all the people in Grenada were. They all welcomed us to their island with open arms and were extremely grateful for the work that we did. The whole week was an amazing, fulfilling, and life changing experience, and I know that I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
-Kaitlyn Johnson
Sunlight Dentistry will be exploring future service trips and opportunities for our practice to be involved in – this was a wonderful experience.
