Derek Van Volkom won the $3,000 prize in Keating Dental Lab’s annual NCAA Tournament bracket challenge, which was free to enter and open to all, and donated all of the money to the Dental Lifeline Network (DLN).
“I was on the Keating website and I thought, why not? I picked a few long shots like Oral Roberts University and UCLA and, of course, Baylor to win it all,” said Van Volkom, a marketing professional who works for Lanmark360, an advertising agency in the dental space.
“I decided to pay it forward and be charitable to an organization that does so much for dentistry, the industry that has supported my company and me personally for over 20 years,” said Van Volkom.
“It was like found money, and the DLN is a very worthy cause. It’s a nonprofit that provides free dental services to veterans, disabled, and elderly patients who don’t have insurance,” he said.
“I was super excited to see this year’s winner donate the prize money to a great cause,” said Shaun Keating, CDT, of Keating Dental Lab.
Keating Dental Lab also has supported DLN for years, the company said, performing hundreds of cases for its Donated Dental Services program.
“Our lab does a lot with veterans groups and we always like to give back, so it’s great to see the winnings go to such an amazing organization dedicated to dentistry,” said Keating.
“It was an amazing tournament, and donating the money just makes it a win-win for everyone,” Van Volkom said.
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