WELLESLEY, Mass., Nov. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition
of World Diabetes Day on November 14,
Sun Life has announced the winners of the annual Team Up Against
Diabetes grant program. Every year Sun Life U.S. supports five
grassroots organizations that administer diabetes support,
management, education and awareness programs in high-risk or
underserved communities. This year's recipients support minority
communities who, as studies have shown, often have reduced access
to healthcare and health support, and are disproportionately
vulnerable to diabetes and its complications.
"Sun Life has an important role to play in helping our
communities feel supported and safe, especially at a difficult time
like this when health is at risk," said Dan
Fishbein, M.D., president of Sun Life U.S. "Our support will
help these organizations continue the great work they are doing to
address the needs of those with diabetes and pre-diabetes, while
also addressing important topics around health disparities and food
insecurity – both of which have been exacerbated by COVID-19."
2020 Sun Life Team Up Against Diabetes grant program
winners:
Emory
University, Leveraging Soccer to Prevent Diabetes
Among Minority Men, Atlanta
Emory has implemented a soccer-based Diabetes
Prevention Program to engage minority men with the goal of
reversing a prediabetes diagnosis. Trained soccer coaches will lead
facilitated discussions using the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
National Diabetes Prevention Program modules, along with rigorous
game play that incorporates a fitness curriculum from FIFA and
other resources. The goal is for participants to reverse their
prediabetes, as well as demonstrate sustained weight-loss and
exhibit new knowledge of exercise, nutrition and wellness. Sun
Life's support will cover all costs for program participants.
Hunger Intervention Program, Community Food and Fitness
Program, Seattle
Hunger Intervention Program's
(HIP) mission is to increase food security for underserved
populations through nutritious meals, prevention education programs
and anti-hunger advocacy. HIP's Community Food and Fitness Program
seeks to improve health in Latinx, Southeast Asian and African
American communities through culturally relevant nutrition
education, cooking classes, fitness activities, and health-related
workshops, centered around a communal meal event. Sun Life's grant
support will allow HIP to hold these events more frequently, with
expanded access to cooking and nutrition education for children as
well.
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Native
Food for Life, Washington,
D.C.
The Native Food for Life program focuses on the
prevention and reversal of diabetes in the Navajo Nation and the
Eight Northern Pueblos of New
Mexico. American Indian and Alaskan Native populations
shoulder a disproportionate burden of type 2 diabetes among adults,
according to the CDC. The program's diabetes prevention, treatment,
and reversal curriculum uses ancestral wisdom and Navajo culture to
help restore participants' physical health and vitality over the
course of a 12-week period. Sun Life's grant support will allow for
an online adaptation of the curriculum, will train local experts to
assist in program delivery, and will help launch community
workshops in four new locations. In moving their materials to an
online format, coupled with the additional community workshops, the
program will reach over 10,000 individuals in the Navajo
Nation.
Supportive Older Women's Network, Philly Families Eat
Smart, Philadelphia
Supportive Older Women's
Network provides innovative solutions to 50+ adults so they can
lead healthy, independent lives and age in place within their homes
and communities. Sun Life's grant will support Philly Families Eat
Smart (PFES), which focuses on healthy eating and physical activity
in grandparent-led families. The majority of grandparents supported
by the program are African-American women over 60 who live in
impoverished areas and cope with chronic health conditions like
diabetes, which limit their daily activities. PFES covers
nutrition, healthy cooking, and culturally appropriate diets, and
aims to improve health behavior with creative solutions to help
ensure lifestyle changes are permanent.
Victory Programs, ReVision Urban Farm, Boston
The ReVision Urban Farm program
provides food insecure families in the Dorchester and Mattapan areas of Boston with fresh produce and nutrition
education. The Farm aims to reduce health disparities for
low-income families, educate on the benefits of healthy eating and
build coalitions to advance community health. Sun Life's support
will expand the reach of food security to the program's ReVision
Family Home for homeless families, and other area residents in
need. The grant will also increase levels of nutrition education
and healthy cooking skills, as well as help Victory Programs build
a coalition with local health centers and community groups to help
close the health disparity gap in the Boston area.
"The pandemic has put a spotlight on health inequality in this
country, and we must be active participants in the solution," added
Fishbein. "We are proud to support these incredible organizations
that are providing such important community services."
The Sun Life Team Up Against Diabetes grant program is in its
fifth year and has distributed $1
million to diabetes programs across the country. It is part
of Sun Life's broader efforts to address diabetes and equal access
to healthcare, which include community parnerships with the Boston
Celtics and Kansas City Royals.
For more information about the Team Up Against Diabetes grant
progam, visit www.sunlife.com/usgrants.
About Sun Life
Sun Life is a leading international
financial services organization providing insurance, wealth and
asset management solutions to individual and corporate Clients. Sun
Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including
Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong
Kong, the Philippines,
Japan, Indonesia, India, China,
Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of September 30, 2020, Sun Life had total assets
under management of C$1,186 billion.
For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com.
Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New
York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the
ticker symbol SLF.
In the United States, Sun Life
is one of the largest group benefits providers, serving more than
60,000 employers in small, medium and large workplaces across the
country. Sun Life's broad portfolio of insurance products and
services in the U.S. includes disability, absence management, life,
dental, vision, voluntary and medical stop-loss. Sun Life and its
affiliates in asset management businesses in the U.S. employ
approximately 5,500 people. Group insurance policies are issued by
Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (Wellesley
Hills, Mass.), except in New
York, where policies are issued by Sun Life and Health
Insurance Company (U.S.) (Lansing,
Mich.). For more information, please visit
www.sunlife.com/us.
Media contact:
Devon
Fernald
Sun Life U.S.
781-800-3609
Devon.Portney.Fernald@sunlife.com
Connect with Sun Life U.S.
https://www.facebook.com/SLFUnitedStates
https://www.linkedin.com/company/sun-life-financial
https://twitter.com/SunLifeUS
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SOURCE Sun Life U.S.