The following article on Partners members Ruthi and Rankin Skinner appeared in Perspectives, a quarterly magazine published by The University of Kentucky College of Dentistry.
Rankin Skinner was just a young boy working on his grandfather’s farm
when the spirit of volunteerism and helping his
when the spirit of volunteerism and helping his
neighbors was first instilled in him, as he saw neighbors helping
neighbors as needed sowing, growing and harvesting crops.
Skinner, a 1969 graduate of the University of Kentucky
College of Dentistry, has dedicated his life - and his passion for dentistry
- to the people of Kentucky and far beyond.
“I learned you can’t just be involved in your own life, you
have to help out others in need,” Skinner said. “A life of service is where
you are happiest and it’s a part of my life.”
Skinner’s career in dentistry began with the U.S. Navy right
after graduation from the College of Dentistry until he went into private
practice in Winchester, Kentucky in 1971. Over the course of the past
40 years, Skinner has been actively involved with countless volunteer
organizations, including Partners of the Americas, since 1985.
Partners of the Americas is an international network
that connects individuals, volunteers, institutions, businesses and
communities to serve others through lasting partnerships. Currently,
Partners has 120 volunteer chapters linked in 60 partnerships. Chapters
in the U.S. form partnerships with chapters in countries or states in
Latin America and the Caribbean. Each chapter is a private, non-profit
institution that works to improve the quality of life of others. One such
U.S. chapter is the Kentucky/ Ecuador Partners.
In 2002, Skinner and his fellow volunteers with Partners
started the Kentucky/Ecuador Dental Sealant Project, working with
15 clinics in the capital city of Quito and another 15 clinics in Ibarra
and surrounding communities. Ibarra is Winchester, Kentucky’s Sister
City.
Dental decay in Ecuador is in the 85 percent range. In the
United States, the national average is 22 percent and in Kentucky it
is about 50 percent, with significantly higher rates in some areas. The
goal of the Kentucky/ Ecuador Partner Sealant Project is to significantly
improve children’s dental health through education, regular cleanings,
and fluoride varnish and dental sealant application.
Skinner’s group has trained 65 dentists to place sealants and
later, fluoride varnish in each of these cities. They provided the material
and the government dentists placed it and created a partnership
with participating schools, local governments and most importantly,
parents. After five years, a dramatic 50 -78 percent drop in decay was
noted, from responding clinics.
Skinner’s volunteer work with Partners of the Americas
is actually a family affair that involves his wife, Ruthi; their son and
daughter-in-law, Ian and Jill; their daughter and son-in-law, Erin
and David Smith; and Rankin’s brother and sister-in-law, Donnie
and Roberta. The family was honored as the Family Award Winners
for 2009 by United Way of the Bluegrass for their outstanding work
with the Clark County Dental Health Initiative, locally in Clark
County and abroad through Kentucky- Ecuador Partners. The dental
initiative in Clark County came about as a result of publicity on their
work in Ecuador, and in response to concerns about the dental health
of Kentuckians.
It was Skinner’s successful work in Ecuador that led to
another opportunity for service. On Christmas Day, 2007, in response
to an article in the New York Times concerning the poor dental health
of Kentuckians, a local member of the Clark County Community
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