Softball's Elly Beeson Makes Impact On Dominican Republic Community
10/12/2021 10:15:00 AM | Softball
Beeson volunteered as a dental assistant and distributed softball equipment to group of aspiring softball players
OMAHA, Neb. -- While many of her teammates were focused on returning to campus for the start of the fall semester, Creighton softball sophomore catcher Elly Beeson embarked on a seven-day trip to the Dominican Republic for one final summer excursion.
Neither Elly nor her father -- Dr. Thomas J. Beeson, a professor in the endodontics department at the Creighton Dental School – or her mother, Lena, are strangers to the Dominican Republic. The Beesons' most recent trip in August marked their fourth time traveling to the Caribbean. The trip, organized by the G3 Foundation -- an international non-profit organization dedicated to treating dental disease within indigent populations -- included staying in the capital of Santo Domingo and taking daily journeys on a bus packed with volunteers and equipment. The group arrived in a smaller village where they set up a clinic in a school gymnasium or church and performed dental procedures for hundreds of individuals who might not otherwise afford the services.
Beeson's father performed root canals, while Elly assisted him in any way that she could.
"This is probably the only time that these people will see a dentist their whole life, so it felt really important," Beeson said.
The work did not go unnoticed. According to Beeson, women in the Dominican Republic have limited job opportunities if they have poor dental hygiene or are missing a few of their front teeth, so these services help those individuals gain confidence while seeking employment.
"There are always so grateful after the procedures," Beeson said. "You can just tell that they really appreciate what we're doing there."
In addition to helping at the dental clinic, Beeson holds a connection with Kenneth Dibble -- the president of the Gift of Glove Foundation. During one of her previous trips to the D.R., Beeson helped him distribute equipment to youth baseball players in need of newer gear.
Because of her previous experience, Beeson met with Creighton softball head coach Brent Vigness earlier this summer and loaded up an equipment bag with various items that included shirts, softballs, bats, a batting tee and catcher's gear to take down to the Dominican. Her original plan included distributing the supplies to a group of baseball players, but her intentions changed during her time away from Omaha.
During one of the drives from the village back to the capital, Dibble noticed a group of girls practicing softball, which he had never noticed during his numerous trips back to the capital. He decided to pull over and talked to the coach who informed him that despite many fields and resources being dominated by baseball, there was an interest in softball, but the girls rarely had opportunities to use sufficient equipment or facilities.
On one of the days after finishing dental work, Beeson and Dibble returned to the field and distributed the Creighton gear to the group of aspiring softball players that had been practicing there the other day.
"I didn't even think softball was a thing there, so I was happy to see that it was," Beeson said.
Beeson, an environmental science major, does not plan to pursue the route of dentistry following graduation; rather, she considers her dental assistance as a hobby. Her goal after graduation is to find a job where she can help people.
For now, Beeson will shift her focus to her duties as a catcher for the Bluejay softball program. Last fall the team could only have inter-squad scrimmages because of concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, but this year local teams, such as Bellevue University and Iowa Western Community College, visited the Creighton Sports Complex.
Vigness's roster currently sits at 22, which includes five returning starters around the diamond, three returning pitchers and seven newcomers.Â
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Neither Elly nor her father -- Dr. Thomas J. Beeson, a professor in the endodontics department at the Creighton Dental School – or her mother, Lena, are strangers to the Dominican Republic. The Beesons' most recent trip in August marked their fourth time traveling to the Caribbean. The trip, organized by the G3 Foundation -- an international non-profit organization dedicated to treating dental disease within indigent populations -- included staying in the capital of Santo Domingo and taking daily journeys on a bus packed with volunteers and equipment. The group arrived in a smaller village where they set up a clinic in a school gymnasium or church and performed dental procedures for hundreds of individuals who might not otherwise afford the services.
Beeson's father performed root canals, while Elly assisted him in any way that she could.
"This is probably the only time that these people will see a dentist their whole life, so it felt really important," Beeson said.
The work did not go unnoticed. According to Beeson, women in the Dominican Republic have limited job opportunities if they have poor dental hygiene or are missing a few of their front teeth, so these services help those individuals gain confidence while seeking employment.
"There are always so grateful after the procedures," Beeson said. "You can just tell that they really appreciate what we're doing there."
In addition to helping at the dental clinic, Beeson holds a connection with Kenneth Dibble -- the president of the Gift of Glove Foundation. During one of her previous trips to the D.R., Beeson helped him distribute equipment to youth baseball players in need of newer gear.
Because of her previous experience, Beeson met with Creighton softball head coach Brent Vigness earlier this summer and loaded up an equipment bag with various items that included shirts, softballs, bats, a batting tee and catcher's gear to take down to the Dominican. Her original plan included distributing the supplies to a group of baseball players, but her intentions changed during her time away from Omaha.
During one of the drives from the village back to the capital, Dibble noticed a group of girls practicing softball, which he had never noticed during his numerous trips back to the capital. He decided to pull over and talked to the coach who informed him that despite many fields and resources being dominated by baseball, there was an interest in softball, but the girls rarely had opportunities to use sufficient equipment or facilities.
On one of the days after finishing dental work, Beeson and Dibble returned to the field and distributed the Creighton gear to the group of aspiring softball players that had been practicing there the other day.
"I didn't even think softball was a thing there, so I was happy to see that it was," Beeson said.
Beeson, an environmental science major, does not plan to pursue the route of dentistry following graduation; rather, she considers her dental assistance as a hobby. Her goal after graduation is to find a job where she can help people.
For now, Beeson will shift her focus to her duties as a catcher for the Bluejay softball program. Last fall the team could only have inter-squad scrimmages because of concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, but this year local teams, such as Bellevue University and Iowa Western Community College, visited the Creighton Sports Complex.
Vigness's roster currently sits at 22, which includes five returning starters around the diamond, three returning pitchers and seven newcomers.Â
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Players Mentioned
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