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Bruce McFarlane will soon be swapping a week on Taylor Avenue for a stint in the Dominican Republic. (SIMON FULLER)

A Winnipeg orthodontist is on a mission to help disadvantaged orphans in the Dominican Republic.
The McFarlane Mission, to be precise.

Bruce McFarlane, an orthodontist with a practice on Taylor Avenue, will take a team of 27 people to provide dental services and dental health education to rural communities in northwest region of the Caribbean nation.

McFarlane, who lives in the South Pointe area of Waverley West, will leave for the week-long mission on March 20.

The idea was hatched when McFarlane heard about the Orphanage Outreach program — a non-profit organization that provides opportunities to orphaned and abandoned children in the Dominican Republic — through St. John’s Ravenscourt School.  SJR sends a group of students to the Monte Cristi Orphanage every year to help teach English to Dominican orphans through the outreach program.

McFarlane’s daughter, Michelle, a Grade 11 student at SJR, will be joining him on the trip, not least for Spanish-speaking skills, noted McFarlane.

But it’s the chance to give back a little of his 26 years of industry experience that’s really getting McFarlane fired up.

"I’m looking for a chance to give back," McFarlane said, on the eve of an excursion that includes three other dentists, a dental hygienist and 17 dental students from the University of the Pacific in San Francisco.

"After many years of chasing success, I am at a point in my life where I want to start chasing significance. I am interested in using my skills and experience to make a difference in the lives of people less fortunate. I’m pretty excited about it," he said.

Fellow Winnipeg dentist, Christine LaChance-Piche, will also be in the entourage, along with her husband and two children.

"This is a new experience for me. I know I will be giving but I feel like I will be gaining more out of the experience," said LaChance-Piche, who has a practice at 275 Tache Ave. in St. Boniface.

McFarlane said the group will be heading to an orphanage close to the Haitian border, where there is suitable equipment in place, where they will treat "orphans and impoverished people in the area for extractions and fittings."

"It will be interesting for me to go back to basics in some respects," McFarlane said, noting that he performs advanced orthodontics at his Taylor Avenue base.

He is also relishing the chance to bring something unique back from the Dominican community.

"I’m hoping to bring back a little bit of education and a little bit of insight back to Winnipeg with me," McFarlane said.

McFarlane is also grateful for the financial support and assistance of several medical health professional colleagues, who have conspired to help make The McFarlane Mission possible, namely Tim Blight, Ken Shek, Bharat Dulat and Morris Ghia.

Founded by executive director Tom Eklund, Orphanage Outreach has been providing medical and educational help since 1995.
During that time, more than 7,000 volunteers have worked in the Dominican Republic on numerous missions.

For more information about their programs, visit www.orphange-outreach.org. More information about McFarlane is available at www.drmcfarlane.com.

simon.fuller@canstarnews.com