The Affordable Dental Care of Madison’s inaugural gala, called Sparkles and Smiles, will raise funds for and awareness of affordable, compassionate dental care in the Madison community. As a non-profit clinic, Affordable Dental Care Executive Director Areli Estrada says that her organization is deeply passionate about collective action, strengthening communities, and helping people with their smiles.
“We are really looking forward to the Sparkles and Smiles Gala. The whole community is gathering to celebrate increasing access to oral health care in underserved communities. I’m just really excited to experience this together and with the community,” Estrada tells Madison365.
Affordable Dental Care is a bilingual non-profit dental clinic dedicated to providing quality and compassionate care to the uninsured and underinsured. “How do we get people out of the ER room for dental-related problems? They need to have a clinic and they need to have access to affordable dental care,” Estrada says.
“Sparkles and Smiles,” which will be held on Saturday, April 20, 5-10 p.m. at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, looks to raise money to serve more people in the greater Madison community. The event will be a chance to enjoy cocktails, auction items, a wine pull, a seated dinner, live music, and a night of dancing to support Affordable Dental Care’s upcoming relocation efforts in response to the evolving dental care needs of Dane County’s underserved communities. Affordable Dental Care anticipates breaking ground on its new and expanded building on the North Side in May.
“Whoever attends our gala is providing direct support for us to deliver our services and to the upcoming moving costs. So that’s pretty tangible,” Estrada says. “That’s what I love the most about Affordable Dental Care; we’re able to see tangible results immediately.”
Downtown Madison Inc. President Jason Ilstrup and Television Wisconsin host Lee Acker will serve as emcees of “Sparkles and Smiles.” Music will be provided by Chicago’s UpBeat Orchestra.
“We are working intentionally and eliminating extra barriers … cost should not be a barrier for people to access dental care. And that’s something that we promote,” Estrada says. “So with Sparkles and Smiles, we really are coming together to celebrate the growth of our organization and at the same time we want to double our impact of serving nearly 3,000 patients per year.”
Affordable Dental Care’s mission is to increase access to oral healthcare and to restore hope, health and opportunity by providing quality dental care to the uninsured and underinsured across Wisconsin. Estrada says that her goal is to have 400 people at the inaugural “Sparkles and Smiles” event. Her ultimate goal, she adds, is to raise $150,000.
“It’s a fundraising event; but we also really want to raise awareness, too, and let people know more about Affordable Dental Care — what we do, who we serve, and the impact we are having,” Estrada says. Estrada has been the executive director of Affordable Dental Care since August of 2021.
An important part of the gala will be the unveiling of Affordable Dental Care’s expansion to a larger clinic at the Northgate Center on Madison’s North Side.
“We have grown substantially the last couple of years and we don’t have the capacity to do more at our current space,” Estrada says. Affordable Dental Care is currently located on 2110 Fordem Ave. on Madison’s North Side. “So the need is there and the demand is getting higher. I’m very excited that this is finally coming to fruition, but it has taken a lot of community-based support to get to where we’re at.
“My work at the clinic has been all around collective action. I’m a firm believer in that and I think that Sparkles and Smiles is all about that, too … bringing the community together,” Estrada continues. “We have so many supporters in the non-profit sectors who were not hesitant to support what we are doing and I find that fascinating. This is a beacon of hope to what our future will be of having a healthier community and increasing access to affordable and accessible dental care.”
Tickets for the Sparkles and Smiles Gala are $120 and can be purchased here.
