CVS Caremark Employees Raise $1 Million and Increase Awareness for Children with Disabilities through Easter Seals Walk With Me
21 June 2008 - 12:55AM
PR Newswire (US)
WOONSOCKET, R.I., June 20 /PRNewswire/ -- This year, thousands of
CVS Caremark associates across the country will participate in
Easter Seals Walk With Me events as part of the CVS Caremark All
Kids Can(TM) program, one of the country's largest corporate
commitments to children with disabilities. Easter Seals was
selected as an All Kids Can national partner when the company
introduced the program in 2006. Since 2006, CVS Caremark and its
private foundation have contributed more than $4 million to Easter
Seals, including CVS Caremark All Kids Can Fund gifts to support
Easter Seals autism services, and a commitment to Easter Seals
Metropolitan Chicago's Therapeutic Day School and Center for Autism
Research, scheduled to open this fall. Additionally, each year CVS
Caremark has been a valued sponsor for Easter Seals Walk With Me
events and employee teams have shown their support through Walk
With Me pledges and local Easter Seals fundraisers. In Providence,
hundreds of CVS Caremark employees will converge at Roger Williams
Park Zoo this Saturday to raise money for local children with
disabilities. Since 2006, some 7,000 CVS Caremark employees have
raised more than $1 million through walks for local Easter Seals
affiliates. Walkers in Saturday's event in Providence will include
about 350 CVS Caremark employees and their families, who expect to
raise more than $75,000 to expand Easter Seals' early intervention
services in the state. "In Rhode Island, 14% of children under 18
have a disability, and nationally, 9.2% of American families with
children have at least one child with disability," said Eileen
Howard Dunn, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and
Community Relations, CVS Caremark. "CVS Caremark is committed to
improving the lives of children with disabilities through our All
Kids Can program. We are very proud that so many of our employees
are helping us support Easter Seals in expanding its extraordinary
services to even more children." Held in nearly 50 markets across
the country, Walk With Me is Easter Seals' national signature
fundraising event that raises millions each year to help change the
lives of people living with autism and other disabilities.
Participants in Walk With Me, don't just receive the typical race
number, wristband or T-shirt. At each race, walkers are inspired by
an Easter Seals Honorary Ambassador, a child or young adult with a
disability who benefits from local Easter Seals services. Inspiring
CVS Caremark employees during Saturday's walk is a local girl named
Lily May, who was born with disabilities, but who has succeeded far
beyond expectations through Easter Seals' early intervention
services. "There is great demand nationwide for services benefiting
children with disabilities," said James E. Williams, Jr., president
and chief executive officer, Easter Seals. "Early intervention is
particularly important in ensuring that a child's development is on
track during his or her first critical years. We are extremely
grateful for the impact we are able to make in the lives of these
children through CVS Caremark's support." Through their support of
Walk With Me, employees from many corporate partners -- including
CVS Caremark-help bring Easter Seals one step closer to achieving
its mission: to provide exceptional services to ensure all people
with disabilities and their families have equal opportunities to
live, learn, work and play in their communities. About CVS Caremark
All Kids Can All Kids Can, a program of the CVS Caremark Charitable
Trust and CVS Caremark, is a five-year, $25 million commitment to
support children with disabilities. The goals of All Kids Can are
to support children with disabilities by raising awareness in
schools and in local communities about the importance of inclusion,
creating greater opportunities for physical activity and play, and
providing access to medical rehabilitation and related services.
CVS Caremark and its more than 190,000 employees plan to help
children with disabilities learn, play and succeed through
partnerships with leading local and national nonprofit
organizations such as Easter Seals and many others across the
country. For more information, visit http://www.cvsallkidscan.com/.
About Easter Seals Easter Seals is the leading non-profit provider
of services for individuals with autism, developmental
disabilities, physical disabilities and other special needs. For
nearly 90 years, we have been offering help and hope to children
and adults living with disabilities, and to the families who love
them. Through therapy, training, education and support services,
Easter Seals creates life-changing solutions so that people with
disabilities can live, learn, work and play. Support children and
adults with disabilities at http://www.easterseals.com/ or register
for a walk near you at http://www.walkwithme.org/. Contact: Carolyn
Castel CVS Caremark 401-770-5717 Sara Steindorf Weber Shandwick
617-520-7259 DATASOURCE: CVS Caremark CONTACT: Sara Steindorf of
Weber Shandwick for CVS Caremark, +1-617-520-7259, ; or Carolyn
Castel of CVS Caremark, +1-401-770-5717, Web site:
http://www.cvs.com/ http://www.cvsallkidscan.com/
http://www.easterseals.com/ http://www.walkwithme.org/
Copyright