Doctor Jayme Oliveira almost missed marrying his soulmate. Even though they went to the same school and took classes on the same campus of the university
in their home of Fortaleza in Brazil, they didn’t actually meet until a chance encounter in the field. Once the connection was made though, they put a plan into action that is still going strong today. They both decided to do their residency work in Miami, with the idea of eventually settling in America and becoming U.S. citizens.
“My wife was doing residency for internal medicine and I was doing my residency in dentistry,” says Dr. Oliveira. “After, we continued to work here until we could get our green cards, and eventually we became citizens in 2016. It was a very emotional experience when the judge said, ‘You are now U.S. citizens.’ It was pretty cool because, up to that point, even though we appreciated the welcoming we received in the U.S. and being able to work here, we didn’t feel like we were really
part of it until we became citizens.”
After residency, Dr. Oliveira’s wife continued her fellowship program in New York. They were trying to figure out where to settle down after she completed that program, so they started looking for a place that was similar to their home state of Ceará, which is a coastal area in Brazil. In researching areas that would be a good place to raise a family, they discovered that Virginia has good schools, and that Virginia Beach is a very good area to live.
Because of their good fortune in America, they decided to start a foundation to give back to the communities that had been so good to them. They had always enjoyed charity work, both privately and at their church, but in 2020 they decided to create the Alencar Family Foundation.
Through the foundation they have helped many institutions, but their main sponsorship events each year are the Bra-Ha-Ha, 5k run in September at Chesapeake Regional Hospital and the Bra-Ha-Ha Auction in October. The fundraiser helps to raise money for mammograms and other procedures for uninsured patients.
“We are immigrants, but we are grateful for the opportunities given to us here in the U.S., so we try to give back as much as we can,” says Dr. Oliveira. “We love this country because of the opportunities it gives to people from other nations to come in an share the American experience, and I think that makes the country a better place.”
Dr. Oliveira brings that same love and energy to
his dentistry practice.
“We are a very family-oriented practice,” he says. “We have whole families from little kids to grandmas and grandpas visit us and we love that. When those family members become our patients, they become a part of our extended family. That’s how we want patients to feel when they come here.”
One final note Dr. Oliveira offers: “I am a husband, a father, a brother, a son, a friend, a godfather, a dentist, a teacher, a Christian, a scientist, an astronomer, a philosopher, a clown, a joker, a believer. Being all that, the most important thing is to be kind. At the end of the day, that’s what really matters. It’s not easy, but I try to be my best every single day. If you want to be something today, be kind to yourself and others. May the Lord bless you abundantly. Amen.”
ALENCAR FAMILY DENTISTRY
711 Greenbrier Parkway, Suite 101
Chesapeake, VA 23320
757-546-0301
AlencarFamilyDentistry.com
