DDNJ Foundation Grants Grandmother’s Christmas Wish of Having Her Smile Restored

The Delta Dental of New Jersey (DDNJ) Foundation and United Way of Northern New Jersey surprised holiday gift recipient Kim Errickson on December 21 by granting her Christmas wish of having her smile restored. This was all due to a SMILE Transformation grant that Newark’s Rutgers School of Dental Medicine receives from the DDNJ Foundation to help underserved and underinsured patients receive free dental treatment. ​

“What started as Kim simply asking to have her smile fixed has turned into her getting her life back, as she shared with us the other night,” said Dr. Lisa Gallucci, DDNJ Foundation Board of Trustee member. “Our mission is to help solve oral healthcare challenges that our neighbors and communities are facing. There are no words to describe the impact this will have on Kim and her life, and we are humbled to be able to help transform her smile and make her Christmas wish come true.”

Nearly three years ago, the DDNJ Foundation awarded Rutgers Dental School via Rutgers University Foundation a $20,000 SMILE Transformation grant to help two young men have their smiles restored. The SMILE Transformation grant is intended to help uninsured and/or underinsured individuals with unique, costly dental issues have their smiles restored at no cost to them. In 2023,

The DDNJ Foundation will be awarding another $20,000 to Rutgers, and some of those funds will be used to pay for the dental treatment that Kim will be receiving at Rutgers Dental School throughout 2023. Kim, a widow raising her grandson, Dominick, first told United Way of Northern New Jersey about her Christmas wish in this year’s Gifts of the Season video. United Way Gifts of the Season distributes more than 6,000 holiday gifts annually to children, teens, senior citizens, and adults with special needs experiencing financial hardship across northern New Jersey.

“This gift of a smile will be life-changing for Kim, and we are grateful for the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation for their role in helping fulfill this holiday wish,” said United Way of Northern New Jersey CEO Kiran Handa Gaudioso. “Delta Dental is helping alleviate the financial strain that families like Kim’s face when choosing between paying the bills and participating in the joys of the holiday season.”

In 2022, the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation donated more than $761,000 in grants to support organizations maintaining the oral and overall health of communities of over 14,000 residents in the state, including children, seniors, veterans, and those with developmental disabilities.

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