Kicking off 60 Moments of Surprise Smiles

Delta Dental of Tennessee reached a major milestone in 2025. On September 20^th, we celebrated our 60^th anniversary. To celebrate 60 years of healthy smiles, we launched 60 Moments of Surprise Smiles, a yearlong campaign of acts of kindness designed to brighten someone’s day. From community donations and thank-you gifts to playful surprises and heartfelt moments, each experience has shown just how meaningful a small gesture can be. As we wrap up the first round of surprises, we’re taking a look back at some of the moments that made us smile and looking ahead to even more joy still to come in 2026.

How Surprise Smiles came to life in 2025

From the very beginning, 60 Moments of Surprise Smiles was created with one goal in mind: to spread kindness in unexpected ways. Each surprise looked a little different — some offered support and comfort to people during challenging moments, while others simply sparked joy through small, uplifting gestures. What tied them all together was the focus on people: their stories, their work, their needs, and the everyday goodness they bring to their communities.

Of course, we could not pull this off alone. Our partners have been helping make it possible to help spread the surprises across the state. United Way of Greater Nashville invited us to their local convenings to help us surprise nonprofits with donations to support their causes. While at the convenings, a Delta Dental representative would hold a drawing for all of the nonprofits in attendance and the winner would walk aways with a $1,000 donation. The Chief Community Impact Officer perfectly explained the impact of working with other organizations to make this all happen.

“You all have brought joy and excitement to our partners,” Tracey Dill told us, “This is what a strong partnership should be: mutual goals, mutual benefit and a large community impact for those we serve.”

Below are a few more of the ways these moments came to life.

Community care & giving back

• • Kicking things off at Second Harvest
    The very first surprise set the tone for the entire campaign: volunteering with Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee. As a team, we helped sort and pack food for neighbors facing hunger while celebrating the day our charter was signed.

  • Stocking the book bus
    Another early surprise helped refill the shelves of the Book ‘Em Book Bus, bringing new stories and characters to young readers across Nashville. The restock ensured more children could pick out a book they loved and take it home to keep!

  • A worry-free Christmas
    We wanted to make sure there was no stress on Christmas night for the residents of Pinson Hospital Hospitality House. We covered the rooms of everyone who will be staying there on the holiday!

Moments of fun & surprise

• • An extra check for golf tournament's winners
    It was an exciting moment for tournament winners at the annual Delta Dental & Friends Golf Tournament when they learned a donation had been made in their names to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

  • Pizza party excitement for Girl Scout troops
    Two troops at the Girl Scout Summit received an unexpected treat: a pizza party to enjoy at an upcoming meeting!

  • Cleaning up teacher wish lists
    When we found the wish lists of teachers in the Marshall County school district, we spent some time clearing items off their classroom wish lists to help them get ready for the second half of the school year!

What’s next: More smiles in 2026

And the surprises aren’t over yet. With more moments planned for 2026, there are still plenty of smiles left to share across Tennessee. The next chapter of 60 Moments of Surprise Smiles will continue celebrating people, supporting communities, and finding new ways to brighten someone’s day when they least expect it.

Want to see the stories behind each surprise? Visit our 60 Moments of Surprise Smiles page to browse photos, read updates, and follow along as new moments unfold!