A lifetime of giving to children in honor of the woman who started it all

Alan Seidenfeld doesn’t make a big thing out of giving. He’ll tell you that himself.

“I’ll never spend the rest of it,” the retired advertising executive says with a shrug. “So I might as well do something good with it.”

That pragmatism has quietly shaped 15 years of philanthropy in Sonoma County. Since moving to Santa Rosa from Denver in 2011, Alan and his late wife, Susan, channeled their giving around a single conviction: children, where early investment pays dividends for a lifetime. They replaced thousands of musical instruments lost to wildfire for the Santa Rosa Symphony and Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, established a trust fund so no child would be turned away from youth music programs for lack of funds, and helped seed a K-3 literacy initiative. Susan, he says, was the one who set the compass. “She wanted to help people in the beginning stages of their life, where we saw the most need.”

When the opportunity came to support Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital’s pediatric dental program, Alan recognized the fit immediately — and knew it was the right place to honor Susan, who passed away in 2023. The gift, made in her name, funds a program that does exactly what she believed in: reaching children early, and making sure no one is left out. What he learned in conversations with the care team confirmed his instinct: oral health isn’t just about teeth.

Untreated dental disease can affect the bloodstream, the organs — the whole body. “When I grew up, we didn’t know that it was about more than just healthy teeth,” he says. He saw a well-run program, a clear need, and room to make a difference. He was all in.

For Arturo Martinez, dental programs manager, the gift means something simple and essential: the work continues. The dental team visits schools across the area, and every child gets a toothbrush — not just the ones who sign up for a screening. Nobody gets left out. None of it is reimbursable. Supplies, equipment, staff time — all of it is funded through support like Alan’s.

Arturo knows this community from the inside. He was a patient at St. Joseph Dental Clinic as a child around age 10, on Morgan Street. His first visit was a root canal.

Three of his current staff members were once patients there too. “I see myself in the families we serve,” he says. “I see my mom.”

The kids who come in terrified, clinging to a parent, tend to leave saying they can’t wait to come back. That’s the goal — build the habit early, and it lasts a lifetime.

Alan’s wife, Susan, passed away before this particular gift was made. Asked what Susan might think of this gift, Alan pauses only briefly. “I think she’s looking down and thinking: ‘good job, Alan.’”

Alan’s message to the children receiving care is equally direct: keep your teeth clean. Remember how they got that way. And pay it forward.