Wine-tasting might not be something you associate with dental work, but for Sacramento State’s Pre-Dental Association, it’s something that’s not only annual, but charitable.

The Annual Wine and Beer Tasting Event is open to students, faculty and community members alike. Attendees have the opportunity to sip some of California’s finest wine, have a good time and help raise money for charity. Proceeds will go to numerous programs the association runs throughout the year, the majority of which aid children and the impoverished.

The idea for the event originally came about three years ago, after then-members decided they wanted the club to become more involved in the community.

“When it came to fundraising, we wanted to do something that hasn’t been done before and that would draw in everyone,” said Jesse Manton, biology-chemistry graduate student and the Pre-Dental Association’s executive president.

The Pre-Dental Association is mostly known for its philanthropic work, with programs such as “Smile Angels,” where volunteers visit children in intensive care and “Flying Toothbrushes,” where oral supplies are sent to children who live in impoverished areas of the worlds.

However, the majority of money raised at the event will go toward another of the club’s programs – Project Backpack, where brand-new backpacks are filled with dental and school supplies for needy children in the Sacramento area.

“We were able fill about 400 backpacks at the last Project Backpack program and we hope to be able to fill in more this year,” biology major Stephen Aguirre, vice president of volunteer coordination and one of the organizers of the wine-tasting event said.

The event is hosting wineries from all over the state. One of these is first-time participant Barefoot Winery and Bubbly, from Modesto.

“It’s great,” said Jenniffer MacDonald, a Sac State alumna. “Barefoot donates to non-profit organizations, so we were happy to help out.”

Pyramid Brewery is a newcomer as well, and also the first brewery to be featured at the event.

“We’re excited to be representing not only our brewery but the breweries in the area as well,” manager Leila Hammons said.

Besides wine, attendees can also participate in a number of other activities. For example, Mellow Me Out will offer its expertise with manicures and massages. Some of the most anticipated restaurants by Pre-Dental Association members are Tokyo Froze’s sushi and cupcakes from Cupcake Craving.

Others enjoy how the event brings club members closer together.

“There are so many of us that a lot of members don’t really know each other,” said Executive Vice President Namphuong Nguyen, biology-chemistry major. “This way we get to talk more and get to know more people in the organization.”

With so much riding on the tasting, coordinating the event can be daunting. For Aguirre, there has been a definite improvement in this area – something that affects him directly.

“We have about double the number of club members from last year,” he said. “With more people to help, the amount of effort that goes into the event is different.”

However, the main difference from last year is the promotional direction the group has decided to take.

“We’re really trying to market on campus,” said Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Castro, biology major. “And that’s different than what we’ve done before.”

In the past, most attendees were local dentists and Sac State faculty. This time around, the association is hoping to raise awareness to the students – not only for those at Sac State, but from the other colleges and universities around the area.

Like all programs, organizers did experience roadblocks this year. In past years, the Pre-Dental Association has completed the requirements needed, such as attending Sac State’s mandatory workshops on organizing and conducting an event on campus. This year, the association discovered that there are advertising requirements as well.

Michelle Bruce, biology major and secretary of the Pre-Dental Association said, “some students are under the impression that it’s a place to get drunk or thought it was big party, but really it isn’t,” Bruce said.

The association had to reprint fliers to make this information more clear, and while members admit it was frustrating, they have not had problems since.

“We finally got what we needed together and hope for a successful and fun event,” Manton said.

Although they enjoy the experience and fun, association members remain focused on their goal: to raise money to help the community.

“It’s an event where you aren’t doing it to yourself, you’re doing it for others,” Bruce said.

Kyrie Eberhart can be reached [email protected]