SUMMER 2016

DELTA DENTAL OF AR I ZONA FOUNDAT ION NEWSLETTER

DELTADENTALAZ.COM/FOUNDATION

FORE! GOLF4SMILES PHOTO GALLERYRecord breaking year for the 11th annual Golf4Smiles Tournament, Page 3

THE WOMAN BEHIND THE SMILEKathy LaVoy Marks 6th Year on Board, Page 5

Smiles were plentiful as people gathered to help improve oral health across Arizona at the Golf4Smiles Tournament presented by Carrington College on Friday, May 6. Held on an absolutely gorgeous day at Grayhawk Golf Club, the event raised a record-setting $129,104 that will be donated back to the community to fund programs that provide oral health education and services to children, youth and pregnant women across Arizona.

Carrington College, presenting sponsor of the event, selected students from their healthcare colleges to provide blood pressure checks and neck massages throughout the course to hopefully relax participants before they hit their tee shots.

Their efforts were appreciated by all golfers and we are certain it attributed to all thelow scores.

Doug Franz, part of the Doug and Wolf show on 98.7 FM Arizona Sports radio, emceed the luncheon

presentation and kept the crowd engaged with his wealth of sports knowledge and golf jokes. The event finishes each year with a highly competitive chipping contest and we consider this one a success as no one felt the need to throw their

chipping wedge in the pond.Thanks to all our sponsors,

participants, donors, volunteers and board members for their donations, their time and their smiles to support the improvement of oral health in Arizona!

Smiles for Everyone at the TournamentRecord $129,104 Raised

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PRESENTING SPONSOR

CARRINGTON COLLEGE

AUCTION & RAFFLE SPONSOR

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

LUNCHEON SPONSOR

DELTA DENTAL OF ARIZONA

BEVERAGE SPONSOR

BUDWEISER

HAPPY HOUR SPONSOR

DR. BRIEN HARVEY

GOLF CART SPONSOR

NORTHERN TRUST

BREAKFAST SPONSOR

SAFELITE

GOLF BALL SPONSOR

US BANK

CONTEST SPONSORS

DELTA DENTAL OF WIHONOR HEALTHPHOENIX SUNS

VALLEY CHEVY DEALERS

GOLD SPONSORS

ACCUTRONHENRY SCHEIN DENTAL

LEWIS ROCA ROTHGERBER CHRISTIEOMNIFICENT SYSTEMS

RISAS DENTAL

SILVER SPONSORS

ARIZONA COYOTESBBVA COMPASS

ESTENSON LOGISTICSHENRY SCHEIN DENTAL

JP MORGAN CHASE

MICROAGEPACIFIC DENTAL SERVICES

SEPTODONTWESTERN REFININGYANCEY'S FANCY

BRONZE SPONSORS

BENCOBJ CECIL TRUCKING

BLACK GOULDCOLD STONEDR. JIM DAVIS

DR. DALE HALLBERGHENRY SCHEIN FINANCIAL

IVOCLAR VIVADENT PRODUCTSDR. GARY JONES

NATIONAL BANK OF ARIZONADR. FRED OLSENRAISING CAIN’S

DR. RONALD ROCKSOUTHERN WINE AND SPIRITS

UNITED HEALTHCAREWEST VALLEY NATIONAL BANK

ZIONS BANK

FLAG SPONSORS

AFFILIATED PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY & ORTHODONTICS

RYAN COMPANIESSNELL & WILMER

VALLEY ENDODONTICS

TEE SPONSORS

AOTCOX BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

CROWN PRESSLMI SOLUTIONS

LOCKTONPLANTE & MORAN

ROSENTHAL CHIANG DENTISTRYTOWERS WATSON

2016 Sponsor List

STAFF

In her second year as Chair of the Golf4Smiles Committee, Alison Lund, a Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation board member and corporate partnership executive with the Arizona Diamondbacks, led a committee that increased revenues from this event by 7% over 2015 – the most in the 11-year history of the tournament. We are all so grateful as there are $9000 more dollars to go into the community this year.

“This Golf4Smiles Tournament was particularly exceptional,” said Sandi Perez, Executive Director of the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation. “Not only have Alison and the golf committee executed an incredibly well-run event featuring world-class golf and amazing auction items and raffle prizes, but the increase in revenues is extremely satisfying as a result of all their hard work. Alison is always very focused on raising as much as possible from both revenue and expense categories. We applaud Alison’s remarkable efforts!”

THANKS! GOLF4SMILES CHAIR

Alison Lund

SANDI PEREZ, PhD EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

BARB KOZUH DIRECTOR OF

COMMUNITY BENEFIT

JULIE ROORDAASSISTANT TO SANDI PEREZ, PhD

& DENTAL SUPPLY DONATION COORDINATOR

JULIANA MANKECOORDINATOR OF

COMMUNITY BENEFIT

SHARON LIU COMMUNICATIONS INTERN

ASHLEY CAPPELLAZZIDESIGNER

Mark AndersonDutch BakerScott Blitz

Keith GauzzaRob MapleSandi Perez

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE GOLF4SMILES COMMITTEE

Alison Lund, Chair

Barbara Crawford

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Have photos from the tournament? We’d love to see them! Please email photos to bkozuh@deltadentalaz.com

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RISAS DENTAL AND BRACESRisas Dental is built on the philosophy of providing oral

care with a We Speak PatientTM company culture statement, making customers comfortable and confident in their smiles. They focus on their patients’ needs through low costs, convenient hours and locations, and bilingual customer service. The dental practice has quickly expanded through the country with ten offices in Arizona alone. Each year, Risas Dental gives millions of dollars of quality dental care every Labor Day. The company also celebrates the grand opening of each new office by providing free dental care for the day. Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation is proud to partner with Risas Dental on Golf4Smiles to help provide accessible dental care to Arizonans.

Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation highlights and recognizes our Foursome and Flag sponsors who participated in the tournament. We hope you will enjoy reading about and getting to know the inspiring, generous individuals and organizations helping the Foundation achieve its mission.

2016 FOURSOME AND FLAG SPONSORS

LEWIS ROCA ROTHGERBER CHRISTIE

Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie (LRRC) is a national commercial law firm which handles everything from litigation and intellectual property to gaming issues. The firm was recently named a “Best Law Firm” by U.S. News & World Report and their attorneys rank on many legal elite honoree lists. LRRC maintains a high public service standard with a long tradition of pro bono work, going back to their attorneys working pro bono in the Miranda v. Arizona landmark case, which culminated in the creation of an annual internal firm award for extraordinary pro bono work. They also fulfill their high public service standard by sponsoring and partnering with local nonprofits. LRRC has supported Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation’s Golf4Smiles Tournament for all 11 years, starting from the event’s inception.

HENRY SCHEIN DENTALA supporter of Golf4Smiles since 2008, Henry Schein

Dental operates under a mission statement to do everything possible to support dental practices. Henry Schein Dental is a division of Henry Schein, which is the world’s largest provider of healthcare products and services to office practitioners and a Fortune World’s Most Admired Company. They are an industry example of social responsibility and regularly celebrate their employees donating time and money to their local communities with Team Schein Tuesdays. Henry Schein ‘helps health happen’ through the Henry Schein Cares Foundation, which complements Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation’s goal of servicing underserved populations.

ACCUTRONThis private company has humble beginnings in the 1970’s as

two brothers, Richard and Raymond Blasdell, dedicated themselves to creating more effective sedation equipment and accessories. The company has made its name in modern times by making dentist visits more relaxing and comfortable for customers via non-standard equipment colors and scents. Their equipment is highly rated by Dental Advisor Evaluators and has even shown up in movies with dental appointment scenes. Accutron has served the dental industry for more than forty years with their products and nonprofit sponsorships, including five consistent years of donations to Golf4Smiles. Accutron remains family owned with Richard Blasdell’s children, Julie Vaughn and Jon Blasdell, at the helm as President and VP of Sales respectively.

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BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

LaVoy Practices What She Preaches

As an active advocate for preventive dental care, Kathy LaVoy, RDH, PDHC, MEd, brings a wealth of knowledge and a distinct perspective to the Delta

Dental of Arizona Foundation Board of Directors. Kathy is now in her sixth year on the board and serves as Vice Chair. Kathy also lends her invaluable knowledge of oral and public health as

Chair of the Grants Committee, a subset of the board whose members dedicate themselves to reading the multitude of grant applications and recommending where the foundation’s funds are best utilized in the communities throughout Arizona to improve oral health.

Kathy is a professor at the Phoenix College Dental Hygiene Program and was previously an adjunct professor at the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health at A.T. Still University. Additionally, she brings her passion for dental education and understanding of public health to the American Dental Educators Association. Phoenix College presented her with the “Excellence in Teaching” award in 2013.

Beyond teeth and education, Kathy pours her fondness for wellness into her

hobbies and is considered by many to be a master at Zumba. She is thrilled to spend her summer vacation visiting her newest granddaughter, Dallas Rose, who was born in April.

OMNIFICENTExpect more from your technology

partner.From the start, Omnificent Systems

gains a thorough understanding your organization’s current and future needs, ensuring we create and implement smart IT solutions that optimize systems, maximize productivity potential and scale easily. As an agile team with diverse skillsets, we can easily flex our time and service offerings to fulfill core needs such as cloud computing, data backup and recovery, enterprise-level systems and ongoing IT needs, along with most IT situations that pop up along the way.

Technology is always changing—and so are we. Businesses and organizations have more important things to focus on than the latest tech, but at Omnificent, it’s what we’re all about. That’s why we fully support all our technicians’ professional development pursuits, helping them gain certifications, learn new skills, refine existing ones and continually expand their IT knowledge. The more we know, the more we can do for our clients.

Omnificent believes it’s time organizations expect more from their technology partners—and we deliver. With a personalized, flexible approach to managed IT services, we have the tools and experience businesses need to succeed.

OMNIFICENTS Y S T E M S

FELIX DURAZO CHAIRMAN

KATHY LAVOY RDH, PDHC, MEd,

VICE CHAIR

FRED OLSEN, DDS SECRETARY

XAVIER ORTEGA TREASURER

ALLAN ALLFORD

DUTCH BAKER

TALI COLLINS, JD

RICHARD FEFER, DDS

SUSAN FRY, MPH

ALISA GOODING, PA-C, MPH

ALISON LUND

ROB MAPLE

SANDI PEREZ, PhD

PHILLIP J. SANTUCCI, DDS, MS

CANDACE WIEST

TIM WILSON, DDS

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/DDAZFOUNDATION

WE’D LIKE TO GIVE YOU A REASON TO SMILE

DELTA DENTAL OF ARIZONA FOUNDATION BOARD

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CAVITY-FREE PRESS | SUMMER 2016

FROM THE DIRECTOR

A Promising PartnershipPart•ner; pärt-n r as defined

by Webster’s is a person or persons participating in an undertaking with others with shared risks and rewards.

Not only is partnering the theme of this Golf Edition issue of

Cavity Free Press, but it is a strongly held value at Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation based on our experience and the

belief we cannot accomplish as much alone as we can together. There is so much to do to improve our communities and make them healthier places to grow up, live full lives, and retire. We can’t possibly do this alone.

Last year, in partnership with the Arizona Community Foundation - Sedona and Northern Arizona Healthcare we launched the Healthy Challenge in the Verde Valley area of our state, which encompasses several rural areas and small towns including Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Oak Creek and Sedona, to name just a few.

“The goal of the Healthy Challenge is to get nonprofit organizations in our community thinking creatively and collaboratively on behalf of better health in our region,” said Judith Smith, Regional Senior Philanthropic Advisor with the Arizona Community Foundation of Sedona. “What we’re looking to do with the Challenge is find a great project that can be sustainable, and then jump-start it with this $75,000 grant.”

“This collaboration allows each of our organizations to focus on a key component of our missions,” said Stephanie

Giesbrecht of Northern Arizona Healthcare. “Working together to fund a new program promotes wellness by highlighting the mouth-body connection serves the population of Northern Arizona Healthcare, the mission of Delta Dental of Arizona and advances healthcare innovations in alignment with the mission of ACF of Sedona. It really makes sense for all of us to work together on this.”

After receiving applications, hearing finalist presentations and deliberations by a panel of five community members and experts, the winner was announced on

June 23 at the Verde Valley Medical Center.

And the winner is…RED EARTH THEATRE. Based in Sedona, Red Earth Theatre is a three-year-old, nonprofit, arts organization. They won the Challenge with their compelling proposal to create, produce and deliver both web-based and live performances on oral health in schools, community centers and venues across the region. They have assembled an impressive team of writers, producers and dental health experts to develop an interactive, engaging and memorable way for children and

adults alike to be moved and encouraged to be healthier.

Red Earth Theatre recognized the importance and power of arts and education in teaching people about health and good oral hygiene. You can’t just tell people to act healthier or change their habits. They need to understand and emotionally connect to why the change makes a difference. Establishing new habits is hard to do, but passion and influence from others can motivate you to act. Their energy, creativity and passion for reaching their audiences is exciting. They also pledged to partner with the other finalists to bring the production to their areas.

We are delighted to be supporting this effort and look forward to sitting in the front row at the first performance this fall. I will keep you posted and hope you, too, can attend!

LEFT: Writer Dev Ross, RDH (center) accepts $75,000 grant on behalf of Red Earth Theatre Company from (L-R) Chuck Marr, Chair of Northern Arizona Health Center; Bill Cammock, Chair of ACF Sedona; Kathy LaVoy, RDH, MEd, Vice Chair DDAZF Board; Sandi Perez, PhD, Executive Director of DDAZF. ABOVE: Judi Smith, Regional Sr. Philanthropic Advisor for Arizona Community Foundation of Sedona, welcomes the groups to the presentation.

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GRANTEE SPOTLIGHT

Marana Healthcare’s Pregnant Women’s Dental Health Program

Marana Healthcare’s Dental Clinic (MHC) is a 2016 grantee embodying Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation’s (DDAZF) values by promoting good oral health and preventing dental disease. They are Arizona’s oldest community health center, incorporating in 1957. MHC focuses on improving its community’s quality of life via integrated health services connecting medical professionals of different disciplines for holistic patient care.

Through the DDAZF grant, MHC’s Preventive Dental Care of Pregnant Women program has OBGYN medical assistants providing uninsured pregnant women a voucher for a free dental exam or cleaning during their first trimester check-up and encouraging them to set up an appointment. The medical assistants emphasize the link between the mother’s teeth and baby’s well-being, plus alleviate concerns about dental work being harmful to the baby. The program emphasizes fostering long-

term dental health for the mothers through face-to-face in-office education, as pregnant women have higher susceptibility to conditions like periodontal disease and gingivitis. Case coordinators are on hand to

schedule the babies’ first dental appointment post-partum so new mothers can learn proper baby gum and teeth brushing.

A mother who was seen on April 2015 at five months pregnant used a voucher to get a free dental exam, radiograph, and oral health training for her and her baby. She delivered a healthy baby boy on July 2015. “I’m really happy with the care I received at MHC. This was my first baby and I had no idea about a few of the things they told me – especially the part about bringing my baby to the dentist as soon as he gets his teeth around six months. I feel like I have the knowledge now to take better care of my baby’s teeth. I’m so glad there are people out there who care so much.”

In 2015, MHC provided free dental exams and comprehensive education to 98 pregnant women who would otherwise not have the resources for oral health care because adult benefits are not included in AHCCCS coverage.

L TO R: Dr. Vijay Patel, Dr. Eric Bjerke, Nancy Garrett RDH, Jose Guarista, Daniel Robles, Andrea Marks RDH, Arturo Villa-Cordova, Jason Kellogg, Faviola Santillan, Robert Kulling, Anahi Valencia, Leah Word

Nancy Garrett, dental hygienist for Marana’s Dental Clinic, accepts the 2016 grant from DDAZF Board Member, Richard Fefer, DDS.

5656 W. Talavi Blvd. | Glendale, AZ 85306

Keisher Strickland’s upbeat demeanor makes her a welcome sight as she travels across the state to visit dentists and their office staff. She goes above and beyond in her role as a professional relations representative for Delta Dental of Arizona (DDAZ). This sunny and quick-witted lady with a sparkly smile could easily

be featured on Delta Dental’s Grin! Magazine.

As somebody with a dedicated personal touch who remembers every dentist’s name, Keisher is also a friendly, familiar figure at Delta Dental of

Arizona Foundation fundraising events. She has been a loyal member of the DDAZ family since 1999 and has volunteered at all eleven Golf4Smiles tournaments and numerous grantee luncheons. Her charitable

efforts go beyond her exceptional Foundation support as she regularly volunteers at her local hospital’s maternity ward. “Honestly, I always wanted to be a nurse and volunteering is my way of giving back,” said Keisher.

Keisher is adventure-oriented and continues to travel even during her free time. She likes going to prime hiking locations, amusement parks, energetic resort cities, and national parks with her three children, their families and her husband, James. DDAZF is lucky and proud to have such a wonderful supporter who reminds us all to include more positivity, goodwill, and variety in our lives.

“PEACE BEGINS WITH A SMILE.”

–MOTHER TERESA

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Keisher Strickland, Always Smiling“HONESTLY, I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A NURSE AND VOLUNTEERING IS MY WAY OF GIVING BACK.”