Our Mission
It is the mission of the Sacramento District Dental Foundation to promote the oral and general health of the public by serving as the charitable arm of the Sacramento District Dental Society (SDDS) and the dental community.
Our Goals
The Foundation was established in 1969 and is the 501(c)3 not-for-profit charity arm of the Dental Society. Funds raised are used to aid and promote the oral and general health of the public through education, care coordination, service and dental treatment in the fields of preventative and curative dentistry. Our Foundation programs, Smiles for Kids and Smiles for Big Kids, focus especially on children, the elderly and to those who otherwise would not be able to afford it. The Foundation also provides scholarship to (1) students who are entering and currently enrolled in dental school; (2) auxiliary dental team members of SDDS members who want to further their skills and education; and (3) other dental-related scholarship opportunities. Click here to learn more about the goals.
The Sacramento District Dental Foundation is funded solely through contributions, bequests, fundraising events, donation of services, planned giving and grants. For more information on ways to support the Foundation, please visit our donate page.
Foundation Board of Directors
Carl Hillendahl, DDS
Paul Binon, DDS
Kevin Keating, DDS, MS
Craig Alpha, DDS
Foundation Board Members
Margaret Delmore, MD, DDS
Lisa Dobak, DDS
Volki Felahy, DDS
Greg Heise, DDS
Bryan Judd, DDS
Michael O’Brien, DDS
Ash Vasanthan, DDS, MS
Wesley Yee, DDS
History
The Sacramento District Dental Foundation was established in 1969 as the charitable arm of the Sacramento District Dental Society. Since its inception, the Foundation has worked to meet the oral health needs of the communities of the greater Sacramento area. The organization is successful due to the expertise and generosity of the member dentists of the Sacramento District Dental Society. They are the volunteers who provide free dental and oral health services to those in need. The Foundation’s initiatives have grown into the collection of programs that help improve the health and quality of life of thousands of people each year, as well as scholarship and grant opportunities to help in the education of dental students and SDDS member auxiliary team members to further and enhance their education.
- Smiles for Kids® (SFK), founded by Dr. Don Rollofson and Dr. Gerard Ortner in 1991, was adopted as a project in 2003 to serve uninsured and underinsured children between the ages of 1 and 18. The program has since provided oral health screenings, treatment and education to over a million children. Millions of dollars have been donated in free dental services, thanks to our SDDS members.
- Smiles for Big Kids (SFBK) was founded in 2009 in response to the unmet oral health needs of uninsured, low-income adults by providing pro bono treatment for individuals in urgent need of dental care. Since its launch, the program has provided dental treatment valued at more than $2 million in pro bono care to adults, especially the elderly.
- Educational outreach programs such as the 1st Tooth or 1st Birthday Campaign, Tooth Fairy dental education program, and more.
- The Helen Hamilton Fund, established by the first SDDS Executive Director, Helen Hamilton, has served the orthodontic needs of children more than 40 years.