Spotlight on Volunteers: Dr. Edward Fisher, D.D.S.

Dr. Edward Fisher is a pediatric dentist who has been living and practicing in Orangeburg, NY for the past 35 years.

He lives with his wife of 46 years and has two sons, one who lives in Austin, Texas and the other who lives in Orlando, Florida.

Dr. Fisher’s office, the Children’s Dentistry of the Palisades, is located at 6 Independence Avenue in Tappan, NY. 

Dr. Fisher can be found all over the community, donating his time and expertise to benefit those around him through a number of benevolent organizations.  Throughout his life, he has displayed an unflagging dedication towards helping his fellow man in both his career and activities as a volunteer.  He is a member and past president of the Rotary Club of Pearl River. He has also been a member of the Pearl River Board of Education and the Orangetown Town Board.

Today, he continues to show himself to be a compassionate and selfless individual whose efforts truly make the world a better place to live.

Dr. Fisher’s efforts are not isolated to his community alone.  In December, he returned from a two week “Mission of Mercy” to Ethiopia, where he worked on a team sponsored by Rotaplast International that performed dental surgery on children there.  For Patch's coverage of a talk he gave about it, please see the article: .  In 2012, he will participate in another mission through the same organization.

Do you remember your first experience volunteering?

I worked in a hospital as an orderly, unpaid, when I was sixteen.  I was interested in some form of medicine, turns out I became a dentist, but I figured that could be a way I could learn about being in a hospital and all of that.

When and why did you first have volunteering become such an important part of your life?

I guess it was because I always wanted to be involved.  I always wanted to be involved with what was going on, be it school, be it the community, be it wherever I was.  With any one of the schools I went to I was involved, when I was in high school, when I was in college, I was active in my fraternity.  It was just me being involved in what was going on.

Do you feel like your upbringing had anything to do with that, or was it just something about you?

My mother always taught me, my mother more than my father, my mother always taught me to do as much as you can, for as many people as you can, whenever you can.

Does your work make it difficult to donate all this time?

No, I’m just a busy person that does something and gets it done.  That’s always been the rule of thumb, which everybody knows, if you have someone who sits around, they don’t have time for anything. If you have someone who’s involved, they have time to do a lot.

Has your primary volunteer work been through Rotary?

No, it’s been through every organization.  If you listen, I’ll give you a hint of some of the things we’ve done.  Pearl River Little League as an umpire.  Pearl River Board of Education as an elected official.  Jawonio, which is an organization for handicapped people.  Venture, which is an organization for handicapped people.  ARC, which is an organization for handicapped people.  A now-defunct children’s museum, I was president for a time there.  Rotary.  I’ve been in virtually every single school in this county talking to kids on either career day or about dental health.  I was on a town board in Orangetown, that was not volunteer. I was an elected official, but I used all that money to donate to organizations, so I never kept a penny.  I was on a temple board. I belonged to Beth Torah in Upper Nyack. I was on the temple board.  I was on the Jewish Federation board.  I was on the State of Israel Bonds board.  I was on the JCC board and I’m now on the Hospice board.

What is the main thing about it that motivates you to volunteer?

It’s a love, a love of being involved with people at all levels.  The office is the office, which I love to do what I do, but I love to go out and work with other people, I love to be out in the community.  I love to be doing things, just because I love to do them.

What has volunteering given you?

It’s fulfilled a void in my heart.  We want to do something and it fulfills everything.  I just came back two months ago from a two-week volunteer mission in Ethiopia, where I worked as a dentist on a team that did surgery there.

What is it that keeps you continuing to volunteer after all these years?

I always have to be doing something, I can’t just be sitting around watching television or going to the movies.  There’s always something that I have to do.  Usually, when you work as much as I do, usually volunteering is that extra what you can do.

Would you describe to me your most meaningful memory as a volunteer?

I think the most meaningful is when I went to Ethiopia.  Coming back from the medical mission that I did in Ethiopia probably tops everything I’ve ever done.  You know, it’s always been involved in the community and this is the first time I really did something outside of the community and this was just the highlight of my life.

Was there any moment in particular, or was it the whole experience?

It was the whole experience, but just watching the parents of the children we treated react when they saw their kids come out of the operating room.  How they reacted, how the children reacted, it was just watching their reaction to what we were able to do.

What advice would you give to someone  who is interested in getting involved, but hasn’t yet begun to volunteer their time? 

To find something that interests them.  To find a group that does what is their interest and to hook up with that group.

Know a volunteer who deserves some recognition and would be willing to be interviewed about their work?

Please contact Sam Schaeffer using the “email the author” button at the top of the article.