I discovered a fabulous initiative while I was in Kentucky this past September for Idea Festival called Making Smiles Happen, which is all about improving health through better oral care.
Photo credit: www.bestevents.us
New in 2015, the Delta Dental of Kentucky charitable initiative Making Smiles Happen supports non-profits. They’re providing financial support in the form of a charitable donation to a variety of non-profit partners focused on ensuring children and adults in Kentucky have access to oral care and oral health education. Their goal is to fund programs that can overall help Kentuckians live healthier lives, which I love given the state of our healthcare system.
They also apparently accept applications for organizations that are of great service to the communities in which Delta Dental serves and since its inception, they have already awarded grants to more than 60 organizations statewide. I love this idea — it would be great to see other states step up to the plate and take on similar programs around the country. Bravo!
Photo credit: Delta Dental KY
At this year’s Idea Festival, their team set up a massive larger than life-sized green horse at the Kentucky Center and asked people to write down a word or phrase of “what makes them happy,”and paste it on the horse. Over the course of the three days, a number of creative answers emerged. Some of my favorites include the ones I list below…
A job that I love, my children, innovation and creativity, my sister, coffee, making others smile, culture, Jesus, #language, organic lifestyle, music, pizza, Christmas, ultimate frisbee, writing, my dog, waking up in the morning blessed, the universe, when #diversity is embraced (mine), dark chocolate, canoeing on a lake at dawn (also mine), flowing water, #horses, perspective, my wife, laughing children, all inclusive feminism, my truck, taking pictures, making art and helping someone!
There’s no shortage of innovative and fresh creative ideas that their Louisville-based team is working on. They also have a program called Teeth on the Go, which is a statewide oral health education program, catered to kindergarten through sixth grade students and their teachers. They offer free Teeth on the Go oral health learning kits, which can be requested by teachers anywhere in the state, as well as in-school presentations featuring University of Louisville & University of Kentucky dental students and their mascot, Marshall Molar. How cute is that?
The main goal is to teach kids about proper oral hygiene. The free kits include one week’s worth of lesson plans for grades K-2 and grades 3-6, activities and worksheets that can be photocopied for mass distribution, an oversize tooth and toothbrush model to demonstrate good brushing techniques (I love this), a CD of The Brush-A-Long song (hilarious), a DVD about oral health care for children and children’s books about oral health.
Renee Blodgett is the Founder and Managing Editor of We Blog the World, a global travel, culture and lifestyle publication exploring the world through the lens of meaningful experiences, human connection and cultural depth. Having lived in 10 countries and traveled to 95, Renee has spent much of her life immersed in the people, traditions, landscapes and ideas that shape how we experience the world.
Since launching We Blog the World in 2007, she has written and produced extensive editorial coverage spanning boutique and luxury travel, culinary experiences, arts and culture, wellness, adventure, technology, spiritual traditions and transformative travel. Her work is rooted in the belief that travel is about more than where we go—it is also about what a place, culture or encounter awakens within us.
Renee brings more than three decades of experience across journalism, photography, media, brand strategy, technology, wellness and global storytelling. She has worked with companies and organizations around the world on brand positioning, communications, product launches, media strategy, speaker positioning and storytelling. Through Blue Soul Media, she works with authors, entrepreneurs, thought leaders and purpose-driven brands to clarify their message and expand their impact, which includes speaker coaching/training for high-profile stages such as TED and bringing authors’ work to market while retaining authors rights.
She is also the co-founder of Blue Soul Earth, an educational platform exploring consciousness, ancient wisdom, spirituality, healing and the intersection between science and the nature of reality. Renee is the producer and host of the award-winning Blue Soul CHATS, a conversational series bringing together leading voices in science, technology, consciousness, wellness and spirituality.
Her growing body of work also includes Blue Soul Living, which extends her interest in consciousness and well-being into the spaces we inhabit, exploring how intentional design, energy and environment can support greater harmony and connection.
Renee is the award-winning co-author of the bestselling Magdalene’s Journey and founder of the Magdalene Collection, inspired by women’s voices, stories and wisdom across cultures and generations.
A longtime photographer and storyteller, Renee has documented people, places and cultures around the world and produced photographic collections focused on destinations including the Galápagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome and Ecuador. She also co-founded Traveling Geeks, an international initiative that brought entrepreneurs, journalists, creators and technology leaders together with their counterparts in other countries to exchange ideas and explore innovation across cultures.
Renee’s work has been recognized by Forbes, the United Nations and others for her influence in media and social storytelling. Across her work in travel, media, consciousness and culture, a common thread remains: curiosity about the world, the stories that connect us and the ways meaningful experiences can change how we see ourselves and one another.
