RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 21, 2017 – Delta Dental of North Carolina (DDNC), a nonprofit dental service corporation, is the 2017 recipient of the annual Gordon Smith Jr. Award from The Alice Aycock Poe Center for Health Education. The award was presented to DDNC during the 2017 Annual Meeting and Opioid Epidemic Uncovered Conference in Raleigh on September 14.

Created in 1992, by Shirley Lucey and Virginia Scanlan, co-chairs of the ‘Our Health…Our Future Campaign,” this award commemorates the role that the late Gordon Smith Jr. played in developing the Poe Center. Each year, it is presented to an individual or organization that has demonstrated outstanding support and leadership to help secure the Poe Center’s financial security and perpetuate Gordon Smith Jr.’s legacy.

“We are extremely grateful for Delta Dental of North Carolina’s continued support of the Poe Center’s efforts to provide essential health education for North Carolinian families and children,” said Ann Rollins, executive director of the Poe Center. “The employees of Delta Dental North Carolina have not only taught many oral health and hygiene programs at our center, but they have also provided numerous grants and supplies that impact countless families across the state.”

“We are proud to receive the Poe Center’s Gordon Smith Jr. Award this year,” said Curt Ladig, CEO of Delta Dental of North Carolina. “Our mission is to improve the oral health of the communities we serve, and receiving this recognition in memory of someone who did so much for our state during his lifetime is a tremendous honor.”

About Delta Dental of North Carolina

Delta Dental of North Carolina is a nonprofit dental service corporation created in 1970 to provide dental benefits throughout the state. Its mission is to improve the oral health of the communities it serves. It does so by providing affordable access to oral health care with the largest network of dentists, including two out of every three dentists, in North Carolina. For more information, visit www.deltadentalnc.com.

About The Poe Center for Health Education

The Poe Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to positively impacting the lives of North Carolina youth through health education. Since opening in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1991, the Poe Center has educated more than 850,000 participants from 76 counties, using innovative teaching theaters, exhibits and offsite programs. For more information, visit: poehealth.org.

###