Published on February 17, 2026 3:20 pm
Last Updated on February 17, 2026 3:20 pm
The Effingham Sunrise Rotary Club shared a highlight from their February 17th program.
Tracy Haddock, Director of Healthy Communities at Sarah Bush Lincoln, recently shared how the organization continues to make a meaningful difference for children and families throughout the region.
A cornerstone of the initiative is the Sarah Bush Lincoln Dental Program, which provides preventive and restorative dental care directly to children through mobile dental units, including its well-known blue bus. The program serves children from birth through age 18 who are enrolled in Medicaid/AllKids or who qualify for free or reduced-price school lunch—eliminating transportation and financial barriers to care. During the 2024–2025 school year, 2,793 children received 7,273 services on the mobile units, with 3,851 children in 67 schools benefiting overall.
Healthy Communities also promotes lifelong wellness through health education across seven counties and initiatives such as the Sports World Speaker Series, which brings positive role models to area high schools. An upcoming Protect Young Eyes program on April 14 at Fields Church in Mattoon will offer guidance to families navigating today’s digital world.
Support for the dental program continues through community events like Races for All Paces, scheduled for June 6, 2026, at O’Brien Stadium on the campus of Eastern Illinois University. The 2025 event raised more than $18,000 to support children’s dental care.
For more information, visit: https://www.sarahbush.org/
Pictured (attached): Katie Koester, Program Chair; Tracy Haddock; Ryan Wyckoff, Sunrise Rotary President
