Et cetera : IT'S TIME TO RETHINK YOUR DRINK! NEARLY $300K INVESTED IN 2023 PROGRAM

Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation supports new water bottle filling stations for 18 Iowa schools and centers and 21 Iowa parks and trails, including a station for Vinton Parks and Rec.

In the seventh year of the Rethink Your Drink program, Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation announces funding to support new Elkay water bottle filling stations for 18 Iowa schools and centers, along with 21 Iowa community spaces, parks, and trails. Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation, along with public and private partners, invested nearly $300,000 toward the 2023 program.

Rethink Your Drink was initially launched to support Iowa schools by installing eco-friendly water bottle filling stations and promoting water as a healthy choice for students and staff. In 2022, the program was expanded to include Iowa community parks, trailheads, and gathering areas to make drinking water more accessible for those participating in outdoor recreational activities.

"Rethink Your Drink is an impactful program for our Iowa schools and communities by making water more accessible to individuals throughout the day and keeping hydration top-of-mind," said Suzanne Heckenlaible, executive director, Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation. "We continue to partner with the Healthiest State Initiative 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count to promote replacing sugary and sweetened beverages with water. The Rethink Your Drink program provides a visible and meaningful way to impact the oral and overall health of Iowans directly."

Sugary drinks are a leading source of added sugar in our diets. A high intake of sugar among children is associated with being overweight, displacement of milk consumption, and dental cavities. Water is a zero-calorie healthy alternative to sugary drinks that is championed through the Rethink Your Drink program.

The addition of the 39 water bottle filling stations installed in Iowa schools, centers and communities will impact more than 126,000 Iowans. Since Delta Dental created the Rethink Your Drink program in 2017, more than $2.1 million has been invested to place 432 filling stations across Iowa, impacting more than 319,000 students, staff, and community members.

The Rethink Your Drink program is funded by Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation and supported by the Healthiest State Initiative, Iowa Department of Health & Human Services, Iowa Public Health Association, Iowa Department of Education, and Central Sales, Inc.

Click here to see a complete list of the 39 schools, centers, parks, and trails added to the Rethink Your Drink program in 2023.