WEST ALLIS, WIS., March 19, 2008 – The Wisconsin Dental Association Foundation’s 2008 grants total $55,635 and help support 15 programs that bring oral health care to low-income Wisconsin residents and provide other dentistry-related services.

An award of $2,500 has been made to the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin toward the purchase of digital X-ray equipment. Located in downtown Milwaukee, the ARCW is dedicated to serving patients with HIV/AIDS exclusively regardless of an individual’s economic status or ability to pay.

A $1,400 grant to the Good Neighbor Clinic of Sauk Prairie Inc. will go toward basic dental supplies. The clinic serves people of all ages with annual incomes within 200 percent of federal poverty level guidelines, including those without insurance and who don’t qualify for government medical assistance programs.

HealthNet of Janesville Inc. is a first-time grant recipient. This organization serves low-income and uninsured residents of Rock County. The dental clinic, which is staffed by volunteer dentists, opened in July 2007. It will use its $5,000 in WDA Foundation funding to purchase basic supplies and help equip an additional dental exam and treatment room. 

In its ninth year, Healthy Smiles for Portage County “Seal-A-Smile” targets some 875 area second graders. The $3,000 grant will go toward the purchase of sealant supplies, toothbrushes and educational brochures and help cover program travel costs.

Howe Neighborhood Family Resource Center Dental Clinic has helped deliver oral health care to low-income children in the Green Bay area since 2002. The clinic will use its $5,000 grant to purchase needed dental equipment, instruments and disposable supplies such as fluoride varnish and sealants and present oral health education programs.

The recently opened Jefferson County Community Dental Clinic will use its $5,000 grant to help cover operating expenses and necessary supplies. The clinic is staffed by volunteer dentists and provides dental care to low-income residents, 40 percent of whom are children.  

Infants and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities living in Waukesha County will benefit from a $3,500 grant to Lutheran Social Services’ Birth to Three Program. Hundreds of safety, electronic and regular toothbrushes and a variety of oral health education information will be distributed to program families. The children’s oral health, along with their speech and language development will benefit.

Madre Angela Dental Clinic’s $5,000 grant will buy a new patient treatment chair for the outreach facility on Milwaukee’s south side. The largely-volunteer clinic has provided more than $6.8 million in free dental services to poor children and adults from Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine and Waukesha counties since February 2000.

Marquette University School of Dentistry dental students plan to travel to Kingston, Jamaica to provide dental care to that city’s poor residents thanks, in part, to a $4,000 WDA Foundation grant.

Meriter Foundation’s “Seal Dane” Program is another repeat grant recipient. It will receive $7,500 to help provide emergency dental care to uninsured, low-income Dane County school children.

Tri-County Community Dental Clinic provides care to underserved residents of Calumet, Outagamie and Winnebago counties and is receiving $10,000 to help cover general operating costs. Volunteer dentists, hygienists and assistants have helped TCCDC provide more than $4.4 million in much-needed dental care to low-income area children and adults since opening in 2003.

Several WDA programs are also benefiting from the foundation’s generosity. American Dental Association and WDA educational materials, at a cost of $1,400, will be made available to first-year MUSOD students at orientation. Another $1,285 will go to the Dentists Concerned for Dentists program which helps dental professionals deal with personal well-being issues through education and referral services.

A foundation gift of $800 will help purchase supplies for the 21st annual WDA Smile Contest and another $250 will go toward Floss at the Fair expenses. These fun, family-oriented events are held in August at the Wisconsin State Fair and build public awareness of the value of good personal oral hygiene habits.

In the last five years alone (2003 through 2007), the WDA Foundation has awarded $225,000 in the form of 64 oral health program grants and 84 scholarships to dental and dental hygiene students statewide.

The deadline to apply for a 2009 grant is Aug. 29, 2008. Visit WDA.org or contact foundation Executive Director Vicki Bohman at 414-755-4198 or vbohman@wda.org for more information.

Upwards of 99 percent of foundation funds are donated by dentists, but public contributions are also welcome. Donations and memorials may be mailed to: WDA Foundation, 6737 W. Washington St., Suite 2360, West Allis, WI 53214.

The WDA Foundation was created as the charitable arm of the Wisconsin Dental Association in 1957. A qualified, tax-exempt corporation, the foundation provides scholarships to dental and dental hygiene students attending accredited schools in Wisconsin. It also gives financial support to projects providing dental care to the underserved and other dental-related philanthropic endeavors. The foundation also administers the Donated Dental Services program.

Established in 1870, the WDA is headquartered in West Allis. With more than 2,900 members statewide, it represents the vast majority of practicing dentists in Wisconsin. Members are committed to promoting professional excellence and quality oral health care. For more information on the WDA or the WDA Foundation, call 414-276-4520 or visit www.wda.org.    

WDA Foundation - 51 years supporting Wisconsin dentistry