Giving Back: Dental Health for All
Our 2011 Project Sponsorship Winners
Thanks for taking the time to vote for your favorites. We are so excited to reveal our five winners of the 2011 $20,000 project sponsorships. Each winner will make a difference in their community thanks to your support, and that's the best news of all.
Project Name: Children's Hospital New Orleans Tooth Bus
New Orleans, LA
Children's Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana, will use the funding to support the continued operation of the Tooth Bus program, which is comprised of two mobile dental clinics in operation five days a week. The current economic crisis and Hurricane Katrina have caused many families in New Orleans to lose jobs, insurance coverage, and other resources that helped them afford their children's dental care.
"We are overjoyed and appreciative to be named one of the five mobile dental units to receive this grant. The funds will help us serve the nearly 10,000 children who depend on our services each year. We extend our most heartfelt thanks to everyone at Tom's of Maine and to all who voted. Our Tooth Bus program has become a vital resource in the New Orleans community and we’re looking forward to providing many more healthy, happy smiles."
–Marian Ulasiewicz
Director, The Tooth Bus
Children's Hospital New Orleans
Project Name: Kids In Need of Dentistry – KIND
Denver, CO
Kids In Need of Dentistry (KIND), located in Denver, CO provides dental care on their Miles for Smiles mobile dental clinic to low income children. Funding will be used to expand dental services to school districts and into rural communities where there is no dental provider.
”We are very excited and honored to be a winner of Tom's of Maine's 2011 Dental Health for All. The money that we received will go towards furthering our mission of providing high quality comprehensive dental care and education to kids in need throughout Colorado. Thank you Tom's of Maine for believing in Kids In Need of Dentistry-KIND and the importance of oral healthcare in improving overall health for everyone. A big thank you to KIND's friends and supporters who made this all happen by their votes!“;
–Julie Collett, RDH
Executive Director
Kids In Need of Dentistry
Project Name: St. Joseph Health System-Sonoma County Cultivating Health Mobile Dental Clinic
Santa Rosa, CA
Located in Santa Rosa, CA, the goal of Bringing Smiles to Sonoma Valley is to increase access to oral health care for under/un-insured children in the Sonoma Valley. The funding from Tom’s of Maine will allow the organization to treat an additional 1,000 under/uninsured children in need at their school sites and at WIC.
”This generous funding from Tom's of Maine will allow us to treat an additional 1,000 children who are under-insured or uninsured at their school sites and at WIC [Women, Infants and Children] in the Sonoma Valley. We are grateful for this opportunity to expand our ability to combat tooth decay in our community's youngest members.“
–Stacey Stirling
Operations Manager
St. Joseph Health System- Sonoma County
Project Name: St. Luke's Hospital & Health Network
Bethlehem, PA
St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network will use the funding to help support the expansion of services of the St. Luke’s Mobile Dental van to 144 underserved Quakertown Elementary School children at their school with free dental care and dental education services.
”This award from Tom's of Maine will allow St. Luke’s to continue to provide much needed care to low-income children who have either never seen a dentist or who have not received dental care for many years. By providing education, preventive and restorative care services to at-risk children, we can promote the importance of good oral health practices throughout their lives.“
–Carla M. Arbushites, MHSA
Assistant Vice President, Development
St. Luke's Hospital & Health Network
Project Name: St. Mary's Mobile Dental Care for Kids
Evansville, IN
Based in Evansville, IN, St. Mary’s will use the funding to purchase dental software necessary to expand its mobile services and link its four portable dental stations to the Mobile Dental Clinic software for its school-based health clinics. This will allow the Mobile Dental Clinic program to expand into more counties
.”Funding from the Tom’s of Maine grant will allow us to fully connect dental records between multiple dental treatment locations in the community. This capability will allow us to better serve our children and families with greater efficiency and quality. St. Mary’s thanks Tom’s of Maine for making this opportunity possible!“
–Timothy Flesch
President and CEO
St. Mary's