On October 10, Delta Dental of Arizona president and chief executive officer, Michael Jones, surprised executives at A New Leaf, a local nonprofit organization providing a broad spectrum of support services to help individuals and families in need, with a $5,000 contribution. The donation was the result of an employee-led voting effort that allowed team members to direct a donation to a local organization in honor of the dental insurer’s 50th anniversary. The donation will support A New Leaf’s Healthy Smiles for Life program, which provides dental hygiene education and supplies for preschool to high school age children from low-income and un/underinsured households.

“The program impacts approximately 800 children and youth served by A New Leaf’s after school family shelter and housing, and early childhood education programs. Healthy Smiles for Life emphasizes preventative oral health care and provides referrals for treatment to prevent serious oral health issues,” says Jones, noting this donation is one of many activities commemorating Delta Dental’s 50th anniversary throughout 2022. This special contribution was in addition to a $10,000 community grant made toward this program by the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation earlier this year.

In addition to this most recent effort, Delta Dental is working with valued partners on additional volunteer efforts that provide -essential support for various organizations while benefitting the community at large to honor the 50th anniversary. This includes both volunteer efforts with St. Vincent de Paul, as well as Arizona Mission of Mercy dental clinics in northern Arizona earlier this summer. The organization also partnered with Neighborhood Outreach Access to Health (NOAH) to release a free “Mouth-Health Cookbook” in both English and Spanish and with Arizona PBS on an educational outreach program to promote good oral health to children in rural communities across the state.