For a Le Mars resident, Embrace Iowa’s funding helps return a smile to her face. You can help.
For more than 30 years, The Des Moines Register’s Embrace Iowa campaign has supplied emergency financial support to families and individuals in need. And has frequently assisted applicants who never expected to be the type of person applying to a charitable fund.
Le Mars, Iowa, resident Robin Taylor discovered the program the hard way, when she was hit with an unexpected and costly dental bill. “Even $700 to me was like a million dollars,” she said. “I was walking out and slipped on something. I don't know what it was, but I fell off my step. It knocked part of my tooth out and left part of it dangling,” she explained.
Taylor inquired at the local community health center but was warned of a two-week waiting list. In the meantime, the pain continued, and her face started to swell. She then began searching for immediate professional help.
“I had no choice but to reach out to a local dentist that was able to do an emergency extraction. And that's what I was able to do. However, I didn't have the funds. It was either end up in the hospital or find a way to get some help with the bill,” Taylor said.
Supported by the generous contributions of newspaper readers, 16 Iowa Community Action Association agencies across the state allocate funds valued up to $750 to help cover a diverse range of financial hardships including medical invoices, car repairs and rent. Applicants are required to have a gross annual income of 200% or less than the federal poverty guidelines and their paperwork is carefully vetted by each agency’s staff.
Taylor’s application was handled by the Mid-Sioux Opportunity Inc. that serves five counties in the region. None of Embrace Iowa’s awards are distributed to the applicants and $700 of her bill was paid directly to her dentist by the ICAA agency.
More: Embrace Iowa helped disabled man pay his car repair bill to travel to medical appointments
Following her medical procedure, Taylor received a partial front tooth and an appreciation of a program she previously never knew existed.
“All the people out there have generous hearts that really care about the elderly and those less fortunate such as myself,” she said. “This is something that will stay with me for a lifetime, and I just want to thank you.”
More: A single mother couldn't afford new tires for her van. Embrace Iowa paid the bill.
How you can help Embrace Iowa
From border to border, the annual Embrace Iowa campaign is open to individuals who reside anywhere within Iowa’s 99 counties. To fund the program, contributions are now being accepted until Jan 31, 2024, and donors looking to file a charitable deduction this year will need to make a pledge before the end of December. Hopeful of the continued generosity of fellow Iowans, the fundraising goal for this season has been raised to $400,000.
Online donations can be made at iowacommunityaction.org/about/donate, or checks can be sent to Embrace Iowa, P.O. Box 10611, Cedar Rapids, IA 52410-0611.
Richard Lane is a freelance writer for the Des Moines Register.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Embrace Iowa helps a Le Mars woman pay for emergency dental work
