Giving Back

DID YOU KNOW THAT DR. HECHT WAS CHOSEN AS THE HUMANITARIAN DENTIST OF THE YEAR?!?
Yup, it’s true.
This year Dr. Hecht was chosen by the Crown Council as the recipient of the Francis Hammond Humanitarian Award for his selfless nature and incredible efforts at “Giving Back.” The award was presented at the Crown Council Annual Event in February 2011 at the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, AZ. Click Here to read the full version of the Award Speech.

DR. HECHT IS NO STRANGER TO SERVICE AND GIVING BACK. During his first few years of marriage he was forced to balance his time between a full-load of classes at dental school and two part-time jobs. Had you known him then, you might have seen him delivering 5-gallon jugs of water or working hard as a phlebotomist. Fortunately, his years of struggling and hard work have paid off. He is very grateful that he has reached his goal of becoming a dentist so that he can share his services with those in need, both in his community and abroad.

In 2009, Dr. Hecht participated in a Crown Council sponsored charity event entitled “Miles For Life.” After 4 grueling days and 1000 miles on motorcycles, Dr. Hecht and 40 other dentists from across the country raised 100,000 dollars for the Smiles for Life Foundation, benefiting children around the world.

Not only has Dr. Hecht provided numerous charity cases for local residents of Staten Island who are disabled and on fixed incomes, he has traveled abroad on multiple occasions to countries such as Belize, Guatemala, The Dominican Republic, and Micronesia to name a few. Here he was able to provide service to towns without dental chairs or even running water.

Ever since his first oversees trip in 1996, Dr. Hecht has made it a goal to make about 1 international humanitarian trip a year. Though every trip he takes requires lots of hard work and long hours, he is grateful for the opportunity he has to make a difference in so many lives.

1996 Belize

1997 St. Lucia

1998 Mexico

2000 Belize

2002 Jamaica

2003 Brazil

2004 Mexico

2005 Mexico

2006 Guatemala

2007 Guatemala

2008 The Dominican Republic

2009 Guatemala