DELTA DENTAL OF NEW JERSEY VOLUNTEERS HELP BUILD MORRISTOWN HABITAT FOR HUMANITY® HOMES FOR SINGLE MOMS

- Employees from Essex, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren Counties Volunteered -

PARSIPPANY, NJ (November 18, 2009)

Twenty-one Delta Dental of New Jersey employees from six counties volunteered on Oct. 23 to help Morris Habitat for Humanity construct a Morristown duplex for two families in need. Toshiba Foster and her two daughters and Alexandra Rodriguez and her daughter and two sons will live in the homes upon completion.

“Everyone deserves a clean, safe, affordable place to live,” said Ellen Schworn, human resources administrator, Delta Dental of New Jersey Inc. “We were happy to be able to devote our time to help make that happen. It was particularly meaningful for many of the volunteers to have the opportunity to make a difference near where they work and live.”

Morris County is one of New Jersey’s most affluent counties, yet there are thousands of families living in inadequate or substandard housing because they can’t afford the area’s high prices, according to the Morris Habitat for Humanity Web site. The local organization began building decent, affordable housing with and for low-income families in 1985, and since that time it has built 41 homes, 24 of which are in Morristown.

“The response from our employees was very enthusiastic,” said Schworn. “People at every level of the company were involved, and we enjoyed the day together knowing that we were making a difference for local families.”

The Delta Dental employees chose Habitat for Humanity as one of their many charitable endeavors as part of their participation in the Delta Dental of New Jersey corporate volunteer program. Employees at the Oct. 23 volunteer effort included:

Essex County: Frank Spada, Fairfield; Kelly Rogers, East Orange

Middlesex County: Anuj Kumar, Edison; Scott Leight, Old Bridge

Morris County: Doris Bellini, Rockaway; Pat Hull and Kathie Stapperfenne, Wharton; Sarla Patel, Parsippany; Sonal Paolello, Denville; Ann Marie Rosania, Morris Plains; Dawn Salerno, Lincoln Park; Ellen Schworn, Lake Hiawatha; John Smith, Dover

Passaic County: Ruth Helfgott, Passaic; Joanne Nudo, West Milford; Jayne Saracino, Bloomingdale

Warren County: Joe Stanton, Blairstown

Sussex County: Annette Baker, Hopatcong; Linda Little-Edwards, Sandyston; Kathy Mullen, Hardyston; Matt Rohde, Ogdensburg

The property at 37 Willow St. in Morristown had been vacant for a couple of years due to foreclosure. The Morris County Housing Authority and Morris Habitat for Humanity purchased the property. Groundbreaking on the duplex took place in February 2009. Construction began in September 2009, with completion anticipated in September 2010. The recipient families, along with the volunteers, will invest hundreds of hours of their own “sweat equity” labor in the house.

About Morris Habitat for Humanity
Morris Habitat for Humanity was started in 1985. Since that time, it has built 41 homes, 24 of which are in 
Morristown. That amounts to housing for 157 people, which includes 99 children. There are 429 people on the waiting list for housing. It is anticipating building 58 homes in the Morris County area over the next five years. In addition, the chapter has also tithed donations toward building another 193 homes internationally.

As a nonprofit, equal opportunity, ecumenical Christian housing ministry, Habitat is dedicated to building decent, affordable housing with low-income families. Habitat invites people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build houses in partnership with families in need. For more information, visit www.morrishabitat.org.

About Delta Dental of New Jersey's Corporate Volunteer Program
Delta Dental of New Jersey Inc. is a responsible corporate citizen that seeks to help enrich the communities it serves. Associates are encouraged to become involved in their communities, lending their voluntary support to programs that positively impact the quality of life within these communities. They can achieve this through programs whose goals motivate them from a personal standpoint or join their colleagues in philanthropic or corporate-supported programs and initiatives.

Corporate-supported efforts in 2009 have included the Habitat for Humanity project at Willow Street; a health fair during Children’s Dental Health Awareness Month at Liberty Science Center, Jersey City; the Winter Games for Special Olympics New Jersey; gardening, painting and maintenance at Employment Horizons, Cedar Knolls; and feeding the hungry and homeless at Eva’s Village, Paterson. Individual associates have volunteered at schools and assisted at the Mission of Mercy in Connecticut, which provides free dental services for the underserved. One associate who is a volunteer firefighter took part in building simulations applicable to fire training, and another associate assisted at a soup kitchen sponsored by his church.

About Delta Dental
Delta Dental of New Jersey Inc. is New Jersey’s leading dental benefits company, providing or administering coverage to more than one million people through contracts with employers in New Jersey and Connecticut. The Delta Dental system offers seamless dental benefits administration for employer groups throughout the country and has the largest network of dentists in the nation. For more information, visit www.deltadentalnj.com.