Mars Wrigley Foundation

• Dr. Lisa Beaudette-Nguyen for the Intraoral Cameras Patient Education Project at the Asian Human Family Health Center
• Dr. Judy Fan-Hsu for the Community Health Fair Pathfinder Program throughout the South and Westside of Chicago
• Dr. Nunya Irvine for the Pillars Community Health Dental Services at Pillars Community Health
• Dr. Eric Jackson for the Dental Health Expo for the Metropolitan Family Services of DuPage County
• Dr. Richard Leyba for the Back to School Fair at the Heartland Human Care Services of Chicago
• Dr. Joseph Lepkowski for the Spread the Health Program at Mayslake Village
• Dr. Marilia Montero for the Children’s Dental Education for Health Smiles Program throughout the City of Chicago
• Dr. Joanne Oppenheim for the Senator Iris Martinez Annual Family Wellness Fair in the city of Chicago
• Dr. Anna Orland for the Dental Education for Everyone Program in the Western suburbs, Chicago, Cooke and DuPage counties elementary schools
• Dr. Grant Sims for the Dental Access Days in Chicago and Evanston
• Dr. Amy Van Fossen for the Summer Camp and Back to School Rock the Wood Jamboree at the All Things Through Christ Ministries of Chicago

• Dr. Jessica Bertoglio for the Volunteers Training Program at the Willow Creek Care Center Dental Clinic
• Dr. Shandra Bundy-Smith for Happy Mouth – Happy Smile Program at the Christ Centered Church Ministries
• Dr. Judy Fan-Hsu for the Community Health Fair Pathfinder Program throughout the city of Chicago
• Dr. Loren Feldner for the Illinois Dentists Salute to Vets Program
• Dr. Nunya Irvine for Dental Services at the Community Nurse Health Center Program
• Dr. Flavia Lamberghini for the Only One Program at WIC program sites across the city of Chicago
• Dr. Joseph Lepkowski for the Spread the Health Program at Mayslake Village
• Dr. Jun Sup Lim for the Community Care Day Program at Heartland Alliance & World Relief Chicago
• Dr. Barbara Mousel for the Family Wellness and Back to School Fair held at the Avondale-Logandale School
• Dr. Joanne Oppenheim and Dr. Marilia Montero for the Children’s Dental Education for Healthy Smiles Program throughout the City of Chicago
• Dr. Anna Orland for the Oral Health Education for Everyone Program in the Wheaton-Warrenville area
• Dr. Paula Rosenberger for the Health Education and Promotion on the Backstretch Program for the Racing Industry Foundation
• Dr. Timothy Toepke for the Baby Steps to Better Health Program for the Family Christian Health Center
• Dr. Richard Ziegler for the Smiles of Hope Program in Berwyn

Sponsored by the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company Foundation & the Chicago Dental Society Foundation

• Dr. Jorelle Alexander for oral health dental screening at Cook County Health and Hospital System
• Ms. Michelle Aumann for Snow Day at Midwestern University
• Dr. Shandra Bundy-Smith for Good Oral Health for Mommy and Me at Christ Centered Church Ministries
• Dr. Barbara Chang for Clean Them to Keep ’Em at Pacific Garden Mission
• Mr. Yale Cho for Smiles for Safe Haven at the University of Chicago
• Dr. Judy Fan Hsu for health fairs throughout the city of Chicago
• Mr. Joshua Eastham for Right from the Start at John R. Tibbott Elementary School
• Dr. Caswell Evans for preventive services and oral health education to special needs students at Illinois Center for Rehabilitation and Education
• Dr. Paul Fischl for Dental Access Days
• Dr. Nunya Irvine for dental services for the Community Nurse Dental Center
• Dr. Jun Lim for Back to School Fair dental exams at the Community Care Clinic of First Evangelical Free Church
• Dr. Barbara Mousel for Family Wellness and Back to School Fair at Avondale/Logandale School
• Dr. Michael Unti for dental services at Living Grace Community Church Free Clinic

Sponsored by Wrigley Company Foundation and Chicago Dental Society Foundation

• Dr. Shandra Bundy-Smith for My Oral Health Counts: Take Time Out – Care (TTO-Care) at Christ Centered Church Ministries
• Dr. Sue Etminan for SMILES Oral Health Program at Ravenswood Community Services
• Dr. Paul Fischl for Dental Access Days
• Dr. Jun Sup Lim for the Community Care Clinic at First Evangelical Free Church
• Dr. Anthony Lumpkin for Volunteer Dental Services at Community Nurse Health Center
• Dr. Gerald Mackey for the Kids 1st Health Fair at Rosalind Franklin University
• Mr. Kenneth Negro, UIC Dental Student, for the Student-Run Clinic at Goldie’s Place
• Dr. Robert Rada for his work with special needs patients including work with UCP Seguin Services and Illinois Center for Rehabilitation and Education
• Dr. Paula Rosenberger for Oral Health Exacta at Racing Industry Charitable Foundation
• Dr. Amy VanFossen for the Love In A Ziplok program at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church

The grants funded by the Mars Wrigley Company Foundation are intended to engender the participation of member dentists and second- and third-year dental student members in community service projects to promote the oral health education and/or provide dental services to the underserved populations of the Chicagoland area. By having financial support for their efforts, members will no doubt be able to provide a greater reach for their projects

Any Chicago Dental Society member dentist or second- or third-year dental student member may apply, using the Mars Wrigley Company Foundation Grant application.

Grants are limited to a maximum of $5,000. Strict application and delivery requirements are outlined later in this FAQ document.

Projects should address socio-economically disadvantaged groups with oral healthcare needs in the Chicagoland area. Chicago is recognized as the city / area of numerous ethnic and cultural groups. White, Hispanic, and African Americans are the three main core groups with nationalities from around the world represented. More than 1.5 million Cook County residents were registered for government health care (i.e. Medicaid) in 2011, which is equal to roughly half of the state’s Public Aid population.

The program provides community service grants totaling more than $45,000, based on the following breakdown:

City of Chicago Community groups (55 percent)

Cook (other than Chicago City proper) County Community groups (15 percent)

DuPage County Community groups (15 percent)

Lake County Community groups (15 percent)

The Chicago Dental Society (CDS) released a white paper report, Broken Smiles, in February 2013 which details the poor state of access to care in Illinois. “The 5-year period from 2006 until 2011 saw a nation struggling to cope with recession. In Chicago and Cook County the results was not only economic decline but also oral disaster as demand for dental safety net services increased and supply decreased.”

For example, Lake, Cook and DuPage counties lost 12 of 44 public health dental clinics in recent years; that left only 32 clinics for the tri-county area, with several even lacking a dentist. Those clinics that are left have waiting lists months long. Adding to the reduction in state and local services, Illinois’ $1.6 billion cut in Illinois Medicaid program in 2012 restricted adult benefits to emergency tooth extractions only

The Broken Smiles paper includes extensive data and may be accessed by clicking here. In summary:

• Chicagoland is faced with declining revenues and increasing cost
• State support has been dwindling. For example, “in Cook County, public services cuts have included 50 percent of public dental clinics in the last five years. In Chicago, it’s 100 percent.

  The need relating to children is particularly high: “Illinois vastly underperforms in Medicaid reimbursements for children’s restorative care. As a result, very few Illinois dentists will provide such services to Public Aid children.1

  And because most school-based programs similarly encompass only prevention, many children who need fillings or extractions end up in the same sparse and overcrowded clinic as their parents.

  Recent surveys by the Chicago Dental Society found that:
• 22 percent of Chicagoland residents surveyed in 2009 say that someone in their family has dental needs now but is putting it off treatment because they can’t afford it
• More than half of Chicagoland residents surveyed in 2011 have delayed dental treatment because of financial reasons in the last year
• Nearly 70 percent of Chicagoland dentists surveyed in 2011 say their patients are delaying needed dental treatment because of the economy

The 2011 Report from the American Dental Association, “Breaking Down Barriers to Oral Health for All Americans: Repairing the Tattered Safety Net,” identifies several key factors which make this a natural approach to an important problem.

“Private practice dentists must help fill the gap – and so many are, often volunteering hundreds of hours and donating thousands of dollars in free care toward the oral health of underserved patients. In fact, private practice dentists provide approximately $2.16 billion nationwide in free or discounted care to disadvantaged children and adults in 2007, the most recent year for which there is data, according to the ADA.”2

To its credit, Illinois encourages safety net volunteerism by awarding continuing education (CE) credit to providers who present volunteer community oral health education programs.3

“Nationally, the next five years will be dedicated to economic recovery. It is CDS’ hope that in Chicago and Cook County the focus will similarly be on oral health recovery. Working together toward a common goal – oral health for all – safety net providers, oral health advocates, private practice dentists and public policymakers can improve both access to and utilization of care, thereby eliminating dental inequities and establishing Chicagoland as a national model for oral health achievement.” 1

Measurable outcomes of each grant award are required, including timeline, objectives and results. Each grant to be funded will be judged individually based on the protocol of their goals using the following criteria:

• Significance / Innovation: The extent to which the application meets the criteria and offers a creative approach to improving the target community’s oral care and oral health education.
• Outcome measures: The extent to which the application sets specific, measurable, achievable, and realistic measures (measures of improved oral health literacy and metrics for dental care delivered).
• Feasibility: The extent to which the application demonstrates a logical and sound planning process for implementing the program, follows a timeline appropriate to the goals and outcomes set to be achieved, and indicates long-term sustainability once the grant is completed.
• System of measurement and reporting, including program and organizational budget: The specific methodology to be used to achieve the goals of the grant as written and how that methodology will be implemented to evaluate project success.

• No discretionary or emergency requests
• No individual research projects
• No salaries
• No travel expenses
• No general operational expenses as distinct from project costs
• No reimbursement for services within a private practice setting

• A grant application must be submitted by a CDS member dentist or second/third-year dental student by BOTH email AND mail.
• Submission deadline: 5 p.m. April 1, 2021
• Funds are to be utilized by: Sept. 1, 2021
• Program budget
• Program timeline
• Recipients of grant must use funds for the specific purpose intended.
• Any funds not used must be returned.
• A stewardship report must be submitted by Oct. 1, 2021, after program completion summarizing the measurable outcomes requested under the program’s criteria.
• Incomplete applications will not be considered nor returned for subsequent resubmission.
• Grantee is required to publicly acknowledge the support of the Wrigley Company Foundation/CDS Foundation Community Service Grants Program.
• Grantee must supply one high-quality photograph which can be used for local media publicity and written permission for use of the photo.
• Grantee must sign the Media Release Form for use of the photograph.

As this program is dependent upon the applicant’s commitment to addressing the oral care needs of the targeted populations, personal growth will be an enriching benefit to participants. It should also be noted that Illinois encourages safety net volunteerism by awarding continuing education (CE) credit to providers who present volunteer community oral health education programs.4