Headshot Photo of Paige Alenick
2014 Award Recipient

PaigeAlenick

Project Donate a Toothbrush

Location Woodcliff Lake, NJ

Issue Area Health | Poverty

One night while brushing her teeth, Paige thought about the toothbrush in her hand and how fortunate she was to have this small necessity. That moment inspired Paige to reach out to World Dental Relief (WDR), a nonprofit that distributes dental supplies to healthcare missions around the world. Paige was stunned to learn that millions of people worldwide suffer from health issues such as tooth decay, oral cancer, and even a decline in psychological well-being, all because they lack access to basic dental care.

To address this issue, she created Donate A Toothbrush, an organization that collects toothbrushes for distribution in the U.S. and developing nations around the world. Today, the organization stands as the largest provider of toothbrushes for WDR, which has distributed the toothbrushes Paige has collected to more than 106,000 people in over 60 developing nations.

The prospect of meeting this need excited me the most. DAT's motto is ‘Changing Lives One Toothbrush at a Time.’

Paige Alenick
“It is never too late, too early, or too often TO GIVE BACK AND MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE”
Helen Diller