The Daniels Fund has awarded a $75,000 grant to Dental Lifeline Network‘s Donated Dental Services (DDS) programs in Colorado and Wyoming, helping hundreds of older adults in these two states receive critical dental care through the DDS program. The Daniels Fund is one of Dental Lifeline Network’s (DLN) longstanding partners, having first supported the organization’s work in 2003. Together, the Daniels Fund and DLN have provided a bridge to care for thousands of people across Colorado and Wyoming.
“As a DDS volunteer, I have been fortunate to witness firsthand the transformative impact the DDS program has had for its participants. It is through funders like the Daniels Fund that these lifechanging treatments are possible,” said Dr. Jeffrey Lodl, President of Dental Lifeline Network • Colorado. “We are thankful that they are continuing to support the DDS programs across the western United States, and look forward to using this grant to expand the impact of the program within Colorado and Wyoming.”
The Colorado DDS program has provided over $39 million in donated services to more than 13,000 patients since it began in 1985, while the Wyoming DDS program has provided almost $4 million in donated services to over 1,300 patients since its inception in 1994. The Daniels Fund’s grant is a significant contribution to the ongoing impact being made by the DDS program nationally. For over 35 years, DLN has partnered with volunteer dentists, laboratories, and strategic corporate partners across the country and connected people with special needs to comprehensive dentistry, amounting to almost $522 million dollars in donated treatment for 167,000 participants.
Dr. Mark O’Farrell, Chair of the Dental Lifeline Network • Wyoming Leadership Council, shared, “For many years, The Daniels Fund has been helping people in both Wyoming and Colorado receive dental treatment that may not have otherwise been available to them. The number of people needing access to dental care continues to increase. Through the generosity of the Daniels Fund, the DLN/DDS programs in Wyoming and Colorado have been able to expand their volunteer coordination, reach more individuals and improve the oral health of their most vulnerable residents. The Daniels Fund has been instrumental in helping us improve the oral health and change lives of the people that are most in need.”
For more information on how you can help more patients in need, visit Dental Lifeline Network’s Volunteer or Giving page. The Daniels Fund, established by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels, is a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for the people of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through its grants program, scholarship program, and ethics initiative. Visit DanielsFund.org to learn more.
