GRIT

Margaret Trimer reflects on the past two years of interviews with inspirational individuals like Vaughn Arrington, Saunteel Jenkins, Deanna Alexander — and more.

Rachel Decker of Detroit Philanthropy shares tips on how metro Detroiters can make the most of their charitable giving.

Vernice Davis Anthony talks with Margaret Trimer about her tireless efforts to improve health in the black community, including implicit bias and equity training for medical providers.

Listen in on a conversation between two Delta Dental interns as they reflect on their experiences, lessons learned and the impact an internship program can have on both the organization and young professionals.

Listen to a conversation on how Rachel Frierson of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy is creating a safe, welcoming space for all who visit the number one river walk in the U.S.

Dr. Kwane Watson, a Louisville-based dentist and serial entrepreneur had a vision to bring comprehensive, concierge mobile dental services to residents in his home state through his business, Kare Mobile. Catch up with Dr. Watson to see how he's helping Detroiters access dental services.

Shazia Siddiqi is a board-certified art therapist who specializes in facilitating therapeutic workshops in corporate settings, schools and more. Hear from Siddiqi how art can heal those who are experiencing situations related to traumatic events, workplace burnout and more.

Amal Qayed, a lead student supports coordinator based at Salina Elementary school, shares stories about her rewarding role on the latest episode of Grit.

Cydney Gardner-Brown talks about her experience at Midnight Golf, a life-skills training program that helps prepare students for college through the game of golf, and her journey and lessons learned during and after college.

Student Advocacy Center strives to create a safe environment for Michigan students and teachers. Dive into the full conversation on this month's episode, “Separating the behavior from the person: How the Student Advocacy Center is helping Michigan schools,” which examines the challenges of supporting students and their families.

How Mario Nanos, President of Washtenaw County FAN, is helping local families find solace, support and resources.

Grit host, Margaret Trimer, sits down with colleague, Mark Baughman—Senior Vice President and CIO at Delta Dental, and Crain's Detroit's 2021 CIO of the Year Award recipient. For Baughman, success is far beyond IT strategy, it's engagement and diversity and inclusion within and in our communities.

Saunteel Jenkins is determined to keep the lights on for Detroiters. Even after her recent battle with stage 3 breast cancer, the CEO of THAW isn't slowing down. Hear her inspiring story.

Detroit hygienist fulfills 'dental ice cream truck' dream—Deanna Alexander has dedicated her life to providing door-to-door oral hygiene care to underserved communities. Now Alexander is taking her business to the next level—she is one of two minority recipients who will be outfitted with a one-person custom van converted into a mobile dental office. Hear her journey.

Recently, the Detroit Riverfront was voted the number one riverwalk in America, and it serves as a space for people to reflect, meditate and cope with life's challenges. For many Detroiters, this last year has been especially trying—Frierson is encouraging residents to head to the Detroit Riverfront to find joy and healing.

Ron Stefanski, executive director for strategic partnerships at Centric Learning, has changed the lives of thousands of at-risk kids. But it was his personal mentorship of one Detroit teen that gave him perspective on a 30-year-old tragedy in his own life. Hear his story.

Vaughn Arrington is known as a Pied Piper of Detroit's east side: he is an entrepreneur, a social worker, a community organizer and he's found passion in getting underserved children the care they need, including oral health care. He's also a returned citizen with an inspirational rebound strategy—while in solitary confinement he had a conversation with himself about a life plan that would help him thrive once he was set free. Hear his story.

The pandemic and lingering effects of COVID-19 caused education to be disruptive. Difficult. Divisive. For Cindy Hill, an academic interventionist at Detroit's Ronald Brown Academy—a school that Delta Dental has supported in many ways—it was a year to truly make a difference. And that's just what she did. She was prepared for the challenging year, not because of what she knows but because who she is.

Three years of horror and unimaginable loss led Vesna Cizmic and her family to flee Bosnia as refugees in 1995. They didn't know anybody in the United States when they landed in Detroit. Fortunately, they found Delta Dental's partner organization, Samaritas—a statewide human services nonprofit that helps legal refugees resettle here and build a life. Vesna talks about living in a war zone, leaving careers and family she loved, starting over, and finding opportunity in metro Detroit. Her story is a reminder that America still offers hope and opportunity.

Ben P. is a Michigan native who grew up with a supportive, loving upper-middle class family. Despite a consistent family structure, Ben struggled with anxiety and depression from an early age. In order to cope, he started to abuse substances, which led to opioid use including heroin. Ben recently detailed his journey to get sober—which included time in prison—as a guest of Grit. Delta Dental invests heavily in the prevention of substance abuse and, particularity, opioid abuse. Listen to Ben's story here.

Twiana Odom is known as "the tooth lady" to residents in a Detroit neighborhood on the city's east side. She earned this nickname for her work with Delta Dental to help teach families about oral health and raise awareness of the dental benefits available to those covered by Medicaid. And yet, until last year, Odom herself was missing most of her front teeth. Hear the story of how Odom got her smile back, here.

Natalie Anwar is a Michigan artist and single mom raising five boys. Three of them, 14-year-old triplets, are living with severe autism. They have limited verbal skills; they are one another's triggers. Some days these triggers lead to aggressive behavior or even physical violence.Some days, Anwar has to wear a helmet.Anwar holds her painting of her triplet sons in their favorite place—the water.Anwar relies on routine and being overly prepared for any situation. She also relies on public outdoor spaces like beaches and parks as well as public indoor spaces like museums in order to take her boys to experience the world and practice interacting with others. This past year, with access to public spaces limited or at times nonexistent, life has been particularly hard for Anwar and her family.“When everything went into lockdown, my world seemed like it was falling in front of my eyes, because I need a strong society for my children to get better,” Anwar said.Margaret Trimer, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for Delta Dental of Michigan, met Anwar at a sensory-friendly event for families with children with autism last year—Delta Dental supports these events in partnership with Autism Alliance of Michigan. Trimer recently caught up with Anwar for the second episode in this podcast series.

Dr. Kwane Watson is a Louisville dentist and entrepreneur, who built Kare Mobile Dental—a unique door-to-door oral health licensing model. And he has partnered with Delta Dental and Ford Motor Company Fund to give away one of these businesses to a minority dentist in Detroit. In this episode, Dr. Watson talks about his mission to improving other people's lives, and his role in the objective to improve oral health and build community wealth.