Update on Dannika and a Request

The Dannika White Fund has been busy exploring new and interesting avenues of fundraising. We've joined Chip In! (http://dannikawhitefund.chipin.com/the-dannika-white-fund) on the web, and have been collecting amazingly generous donations through our collection jars that are placed in local St. Augustine businesses. Our Modest Needs campaign has been steadily growing toward the goal, but we are running out of time to fund it. If we don't reach the goal in time, we will have to reapply and try again. Lastly, we also have some amazing collectibles up for auction on our Ebay store: http://stores.ebay.com/Dannika-White-Fund.

Dannika had a health set-back over the Memorial Day weekend. An abscess burst and nearly sent her to the hospital. Luckily, her dentist was able to order her antibiotics and pain killers right away. It took nearly a week for her health to improve enough for Dr. Oxford to consider taking out the infected teeth, but in the end she had two teeth removed and the fund had collected enough money to cover this small surgery.

Removing these two teeth should provide us a little more time to tackle raising the necessary 6K. We are hoping to be able to get Dannika into surgery by the end of the summer. So here's our request: please help us with our fundraising campaign by posting our Chip In! widget on your blogs, Facebook page, and any other online community to which you belong. Simply copy the script and paste it where you'd like it placed. This widget will facilitate the placement of funds into the Dannika White Fund Paypal account and is 100% secure.



Thanks for helping us spread the word. I'll write again soon with some more good news about our progress!

A Quick Thank You and a Call to Bid

I wanted to send out a quick thank you to Diane’s Natural Market (http://www.dianesnaturalfoods.com/) on SR 312. They have generously agreed to help us collect donations for the Dannika White Fund. Diane’s has been a St. Augustine fixture for many years (winning St. Augustine Best Health Food Store 11 years in a row!). They are a true gem of the community and we are so grateful for their help.

The Dannika White Fund now has collection containers placed in Roberts Feed (Master’s Drive), Discount Groceries Scratch and Dent (on SR 16), Coffee Creations in the Cobblestone Plaza (on SR 312), and now Diane’s Natural Market. Please patronize these businesses to help us thank them for placing our containers.

Lastly, the Dannika White Fund Ebay store has two new auctions listed. Up for bidding this week is an original watercolor painting by renowned Florida artist, Leah Wiedemer, and a unique, beaded, clutch-style purse. The painting is a one-of-a-kind floral piece that is matted and framed – ready for hanging. The purse is a beautiful, intricately beaded accessory that would be a boon to any couture collection. Go to http://stores.ebay.com/Dannika-White-Fund to bid.

The Dannika White Fund

Have you ever had that nightmare where all of your teeth start crumbling and falling out of your mouth? That horror is a reality for Dannika White. Dannika was born with the genetic disorder, Amelogensis Imperfecta (AI). AI causes abnormal enamel formation, and can have varying degrees of affect on those afflicted with it. Unfortunately Dannika has a very severe form of this disorder. She has had 12 surgeries since her infancy, simply to maintain a low level of oral function. These oral surgeries and dentistry are no longer maintaining her fragile teeth. Her teeth are cracking and breaking into shards. They have incurred dangerous infections that threaten her life. She can longer chew food, and is in constant, debilitating pain.

Dannika needs oral surgery immediately. She needs to have all of her teeth removed, her infections treated, her bones seeded to prevent collapse, and dentures implanted. Because amelogenesis imperfecta is such a rare genetic disorder, very few oral surgeons have experience in treating it. Dannika has found an experienced oral surgeon, Dr. Gregory Oxford, in St. Augustine, who has developed a treatment plan for her. Though Dr. Oxford has generously discounted his work, the first phase of the treatment has a cost of nearly $7,000.

Dannika is a high school student. She does not qualify for health insurance, Medicaid is not accepted by the Oxford Dental Group, and she has been turned down for lines of credit. She is in desperate need of these surgeries, but has no way to pay for it. Family and friends have organized the Dannika White Fund to help her raise the money she needs to get started. Donations to the fund are gratefully accepted at all Putnam State Bank locations, the Paypal Donate button to the right of this post, as well as through the http://www.modestneeds.org/ application ID #150838. The Fund is also raising money through its auctions at its Ebay Store, http://tinyurl.com/2ex2zhb .