Planting Seeds of Hope: How Good Samaritan Gwinnett Helped Shape a Young Dentist’s Calling

When Dr. Audrey Fernandes first walked through the doors of Good Samaritan Health Centers of Gwinnett in 2018, she was a newly graduated dentist who was talented, hopeful, and quietly wrestling with fear and uncertainty just like so many young professionals at the start of their career. What she found at Good Samaritan Gwinnett was more than her first long-term job. She found a community. She found mentorship. And most importantly, she found a place where her faith and her calling to serve could grow together.

“Those years at Good Samaritan Gwinnett were the most foundational years of my career,” Dr. Fernandes shared. “They molded me as a dentist but also strengthened my faith. I learned that dentistry was not just about my hands or my knowledge. I needed God to help me through my anxiety and self-doubt. Once I put God first, everything else began to fall into place.”

For three and a half years, Dr. Fernandes served uninsured patients. These were mothers, fathers, grandparents, and children. Many were in pain. All were deserving of dignity and kindness. She saw firsthand how life-changing access to affordable dental care can be. After completing her dental education at the Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University, she never imagined how deeply those early years at Good Samaritan Gwinnett would shape her future. Today, she practices dentistry in Boston, but her heart is still closely tied to the patients and mission at Good Samaritan Gwinnett.

“Good Samaritan Gwinnett had a huge impact on me as a woman, as a clinician, and as a person of faith,” she said. “Giving back is my way of saying thank you for everything that season taught me. The Bible reminds us that it is better to give than to receive, and that is something I hold close to my heart.” Hope With Every Gift As we look toward the end of the year, stories like Dr. Fernandes’ remind us that hope does not stop at the clinic door. It continues through every life touched. It continues through every young healthcare professional mentored, every patient restored, and every family shown compassion.

This season, Good Samaritan Gwinnett is working toward raising $300,000 by December 31, 2025, to ensure uninsured neighbors continue receiving access to medical and dental care in the year ahead. Join Dr. Fernandes in Bringing Hope Dr. Fernandes gives because she believes in what Good Samaritan Gwinnett does. She believes not only in what happens inside the clinic, but also in how lives ripple outward through families and generations. She warmly invites you to join her.

If you feel called to give, your donation of any size helps bring Hope With Every Gift. Help us reach our $300,000 year-end goal and ensure that no one has to choose between their health and their ability to pay. To give today and help bring hope to another family, please visit: www.GoodSamGwinnett.org.