Ayuda International ยท The people who make it happen
Ayuda has always run on the energy of its volunteers. These are some of the people who took the mission further than anyone asked them to.
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Dryden came to Ayuda as a dental student at USC who was also a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. He served as clinic director for Ayuda’s June 2018 clinic and as a student team leader for our clinics in Rosarito. He was on the ground in Rosarito in December 2018, in Panama in April 2019, in Fullerton in 2019 and in Rosarito again in December 2019. At the 2019 award ceremony in Panama he was welcomed into Rotary.
When COVID closed the clinics, Lt. Dryden Granger chaired the committee that worked with USC on new protocols and wrote the letter that made the case for reopening. After graduating he was commissioned as a captain in the Air Force Dental Corps. He kept leading Ayuda from wherever the Air Force sent him: through his residency with the 633rd Dental Squadron at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, and as a general dentist with the 27th Special Operations Medical Group at Cannon Air Force Base, while also teaching as an adjunct clinical assistant professor at USC.
His persistence won USC’s approval to bring students back to Ayuda clinics in 2024. That year he led the Ayuda alumni reunion clinic in Placentia on May 4 and the Bocas del Toro mission in August. Today he serves as Ayuda’s Executive Director.
“As I carry out my active duty commitment, I will continue to organize and support Ayuda remotely.”Capt. Dryden Granger
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Rita Garabet, now Dr. Rita Garabet Bashoura, was one of Ayuda’s student leaders from 2018 through 2020 while she earned her DDS at USC. She helped lead Ayuda’s April 2019 clinic in Panama and served with Dryden as a student team leader for Rosarito in December 2019. Around the clinics the two were known as “The Rita and Dryden Show.”
In 2019 Rita was crowned Miss California International and went on to finish first runner up at Miss International. Her platform, “Ending Dental Disparities Internationally,” grew out of the work she did with Ayuda. She also served as Rotaract District Governor for Orange County and co-chaired a Rotary dental mission to Lebanon with her mother, Milia.
Dr. Garabet Bashoura has stayed part of the Ayuda family as an alumna. She ordered the supplies for the May 2024 reunion clinic in Placentia and is helping plan the USC and Ayuda service trip for April 2027.
“I welcome any use of my title! I think it gets Rotarians excited.”Dr. Rita Garabet Bashoura
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Dentists, hygienists, dental students and helpers of every kind are welcome. Tell us where you would like to serve and we will send you the clinic calendar.