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02/02/2019

OMS Societies propel the OMS Foundation to million-dollar finish in 2018

OMS Societies propel the OMS Foundation to million-dollar finish in 2018

The OMS Foundation extends a heartfelt “thank you” to the Ohio Society of OMS and its members for their support of the Foundation’s 2018 Annual Fund Campaign, which reached its goal to raise $1 million in new gifts to the Foundation to honor AAOMS’s 100th anniversary.  

“We set an ambitious fundraising goal as a way to celebrate AAOMS’s 100th anniversary, and the OMS specialty responded beyond even our expectations,” said Kathy A. Banks, DMD, chair of the Foundation Board of Directors.

OMS National Insurance Company (OMSNIC) jumpstarted the campaign with a $100,000 gift-match challenge that generated $300,000 in three months. Subsequent challenges supported by AAOMS and Treloar & Heisel, an insurance provider for dentists and specialists, also surpassed their goals.

Individual gifts ranging from $5.00 to $10,000.00 sustained the momentum of the campaign, along with gifts from the International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (IAOMS), the IAOMS Foundation, the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (ABOMS), the American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (ACOMS), the Canadian Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (CAOMS), 36 state and regional OMS societies and several college and university OMS training programs.

AAOMS President A. Thomas Indresano, DMD, FACS, and his wife, Rita, made the pivotal contribution to put the campaign over the $1 million mark.

“Knowing my colleagues as I do, I had every confidence we would reach our goal,” Dr. Indresano said. “The OMS specialty values research, education and academic excellence above all else. The generosity of our practitioners, faculty, affiliate organizations and even our residents was gratifying and foretells a bright future for AAOMS in its second century.”

The centerpiece of the 2018 campaign is the AAOMS Centennial Tree, which will be displayed at AAOMS headquarters in Rosemont. Its bronze, silver and gold leaves recognize gifts of $2,500, $5,000 and $10,000, respectively, and many of the inscriptions honor family members, mentors and colleagues.

“We’re especially proud that 100 percent of the AAOMS Board of Trustees and the OMS Foundation Board of Directors will be recognized on the Centennial Tree, along with every OMS on OMSNIC’s Board,” Dr. Banks said. “That’s unprecedented and speaks to the commitment of both organizations to a productive and sustainable partnership.”

Through its Annual Fund, the Foundation supports basic and clinical research specific to the OMS specialty, and educational programs such as the Resident Transitions into Practice Conference, CSIOMS and the Clinical Trials Methods Course. The Foundation has travel scholarships available for residents attending CSIOMS 2019 and resident spouses attending the 2019 AAOMS Annual Meeting.
New for 2019 is the Global Initiative for Volunteerism and Education (GIVE), offering $2500 travel stipends to OMS residents joining experienced OMS teams to deliver humanitarian healthcare to underserved communities. Five stipends were awarded for 2019 with support from the OMS Foundation Alliance.

To learn more and donate to support the Foundation’s continued success, visit OMSFoundation.org.
The Centennial Tree donors and leaf inscriptions are listed at OMSFoundation.org/our-donors/centennial-tree-donors.

OMSF 2018 Campaign (PDF)

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