Changing Lives One Smile at a TIme Since 1985

Dear Volunteer

We are thrilled you are interested in joining us at a future Thousand Smiles Foundation Clinic in Ensenada. Below are some details to help you understand the scope of the trip and to ensure you have a wonderful experience.

Location / Getting There
Specific Roles
Places to Stay

Dates

● November 1st-2nd, 2024

● February 7th-8th, 2025

● May 2nd-3rd, 2025

● August 1st-2nd, 2025

● November 7th-8th, 2025

Time/Schedule

Volunteers to be onsite at 9am each day, unless otherwise noted Lunch will be provided (but please bring your own water/snacks). Expect to finish about 5pm each day.

Expectations

We are all working together to make these two days a success. We have been doing this for forty years and have a good schedule established. However, things do shift, and we appreciate your ability to be flexible.

Meals

Please bring your snacks and water. Lunch for volunteers will be provided.

What to Bring and Wear

For general volunteering, please wear comfortable clothing with closed-toed shoes. For practitioners and nurses please bring your necessary scrubs, gowns, etc.

Tips to Remember

  • Plan your trip to start and finish in daylight
  • When possible, caravan with at least 2 or 3 vehicles.
  • Don’t pull over for any vehicles not marked as police vehicles, even if they display red flashing lights.
  • If you have more than one vehicle, try to always take the one that attracts less attention. In other words, leave the Rolls Royce at home.
  • Leave your expensive jewelry and watches at home.

Obey All Road Laws

  • Always drive within the speed limit. Remember the signs are in kilometers per hour.
  • Don’t drink and drive.
  • Try not to do anything that would give a police officer reason to pull you over. If you do everything right you will be more likely to suspect that the red flashing lights behind you are not from a police vehicle rather than pulling over automatically.
  • Don’t pull off the road to take a nap or camp out. Wait until you get to the rest area at one of the toll stations.

How to Volunteer

Create an Account

CREATE ACCOUNT

Clinic Registration

Sign up for a specific clinic
(please note: registration opens 30 days before clinic)

CLINIC REGISTRATION

General Volunteering Interest

If you’d like to learn more about volunteering fill out our form and we’ll share more information and news about upcoming opportunities.

Name(Required)
Address(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Ensenada Clinic Location

Ave Mexico #124
Corner of 18 de Marzo and Ave Mexico
(1 block south of Diamante)
Fraccionamiento Buenaventura
Ensenada, BC 22880

Google Map Link

Getting There

You are responsible for getting to and from the clinic unless you have separately coordinated with an associated group.

Driving Across the Border info from Baja Bound
US State Department Travel Info to Mexico Information
Additional San Diego Border Crossing Info

Specific Roles

Volunteer

You will be assigned duties including food preparation, registration, crafts with children, etc.

Physicians

Licensing Info:

  • A month in advance of the trip, All professional service providers should submit their professional volunteer application form, a scanned full size copy of their passport or proof of citizenship and picture ID to Mina Olimon at mina@rlcequip.com. The pictures must be recognizable and all the printed information must be legible. Alternately copies can be faxed to 619.267.4553 if unable to e-mail the documents. Faxing is generally not recommended as pictures are usually not acceptable if faxed unless your fax has a Photo option.

Nurses

We welcome qualified nurses but due to the size of our facility, we have a maximum we can accommodate per trip. For that reason we will ask for your info, let you know if you can attend this one, and if not, put you on the waitlist for our next!

You will be asked about the following:

  • Active nursing license.
  • Your nursing experience generally and especially in operating rooms.
  • Whether you are bilingual in English and Spanish.
  • Your pediatric experience.
  • Your previous experience with Thousand Smiles Foundation or other volunteer missions.

Places to Stay

If you intend to stay the night, here are some nearby hotels. Please note that these are not included or reserved for you but left for you to choose/pay for.

Las Dunas

Calle de los Caracoles #169
Fracc Playas de Ensenada
22880 Ensenada, B.C., Mexico
+52 646 176 2771

Hotel Marea Vista

Blvd. Lázaro Cárdenas, between Guamas and Calle Plinta
22890 Ensenada, B.C., Mexico
+52 (646) 173 5323

Holiday Inn Express

Av. Blancarte No.
151 Col. Centro
22800 Ensenada, Baja California
+52 646 152 8470

Villa Marina

Adolfo Lopez Mateos S/N (corner of Lopez Mateos and Blancarte
Zona Centro
22880 Ensenada, B.C. Mexico
+52 646 178 3321