The Drs. Brickle & Self Rural Health Champion Award Scholarship is generously funded in 2026 by the Frank W. Veden Charitable Trust.
Eligible applicants must be dental hygiene or dental therapy students currently in a CODA-approved education program. You may apply for a $10,000 per year scholarship from Apple Tree Dental to be paid directly toward your tuition during your academic term. Students may be eligible for up to two (2) years or up to $20,000 in scholarship money. Recipients of the scholarship will commit to working at an eligible Apple Tree Dental Center upon graduation for one year per every $10,000 received. Eligible Apple Tree Dental Center locations are listed below.
2026 Application Deadline: October 11, 2026, 11:59 pm
Questions? Reach out to hr@appletreedental.org.
Submit your application form here. Reference forms must be emailed directly from your professional reference(s) by no later than the October 11, 2026 deadline. Two references are required. At least one reference must be a faculty educator at your educational institution who can attest to your good standing.
Apple Tree's Fairmont Center for Dental Health is co-located within the Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont. The clinic has eight operatories with space for two dentists, a dental therapist, and three dental hygienists. Opportunities for mobile dental care also available as an employee of this Center.
Fairmont, located in Southern Minnesota, is known as the “City of Lakes” due to its beautiful chain of lakes located in town. Fairmont has plenty to offer every day of the year. It’s the people, the lakes, the parks, the restaurants, and hotels that will make your stay memorable.
Apple Tree's Fergus Falls Center is visible from the highway in our own state-of-the-art, specially designed building. The Fergus Falls Center has twelve operatories and two surgical suites, with capacity for four dentists, three dental therapists, and five dental hygienists.
Fergus Falls, located in west-central Minnesota, is a welcoming community known for its scenic beauty, historic charm, and strong sense of local pride. Surrounded by lakes and rolling countryside, the city offers abundant outdoor recreation, vibrant local arts, unique shops and restaurants, and a relaxed pace of life. It’s a place where meaningful work and small-town living come together.
As of 2027, the Hawley Center will have just completed a total renovation, and will feature thirteen operatories with capacity for four dentists, two dental therapist, and four dental hygienists. The Center houses the west central region's operations for Apple Tree's mobile dentistry program. The Detroit Lakes Outreach Center has three operatories and operates as a satellite program. It is located within the Essentia Health campus. Scholarship recipients have the opportunity to work in one or both of these locations.
Apple Tree's Hawley Center is located just outside of the Fargo-Moorhead area in Minnesota's west central prairie region. Hawley is a beautiful rural community with easy access to large towns.
Hawley:
Detroit Lakes:
Co-located in the CHI St. Gabriel's Hospital, the Little Falls Center completed a total renovation in 2023 and features state-of-the-art equipment and resources. The Little Falls Center has seven operatories and capacity for three dentists, one dental therapist, and three dental hygienists.
Little Falls is a picturesque community located in the middle of Minnesota. The boyhood home of famed pilot Charles Lindbergh, Little Falls features Charles A. Lindbergh State Park (named after the pilot's father, Minnesota lawyer and U.S. Congressman). The town is located on the Mississippi River is still the site of a hydroelectric dam station that generates power for the surrounding area.
Apple Tree's Rochester Center was recently renovated with a brand new coordination and lobby area. The clinic features nine operatories with a capacity for three dentists, two dental therapists, and three dental hygienists.
Rochester, Minnesota is a beautiful metropolitan area famous for being the home of the Mayo Clinic, one of the nation's top health centers. Surrounded by farmland, Rochester is a destination in the southeast corner of the state, drawing visitors for its culture, opportunities, and healthcare resources.
