CVS Caremark All Kids Can Program Invests in Easter Seals' Make the First Five Count(SM) Initiative to Assure Children Receive Critical Early Intervention Services

CHICAGO, July 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- CVS Caremark continues to demonstrate its commitment to children with disabilities through its All Kids Can Program.  Through this signature program, CVS Caremark has partnered with Easter Seals over the past six years to support children at risk of autism, developmental delays or disabilities so they can be school-ready and build a foundation for a lifetime of learning.

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Every year, millions of young children with disabilities or at risk of developmental delays enter school already far behind other children.  Many never catch up.  By identifying and treating a delay early on, kids with autism and other disabilities have the best chance of succeeding in life and developing on par with their peers.

As the nation's leading nonprofit provider of autism and early intervention services, Easter Seals knows the impact early intervention services can make to strengthen children's physical, social, emotional and intellectual abilities well before kindergarten.  CVS Caremark's investment in Make the First Five Count will continue to help assure successful outcomes for young children served by Easter Seals nationwide.

Investing Early in Young Children with Autism

Since Easter Seal's Living with Autism Study was released in late 2008, CVS Caremark has responded to the needs of families living with autism by providing nearly $650,000 in grants from the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust to train and certify Easter Seals therapists in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), enhancing further Easter Seals' capacity to respond to the need for evidence-based interventions for young children with autism.  

Through this funding, nearly 100 Easter Seals therapists at 20 Easter Seals affiliates nationwide have been trained and certified in these critical interventions.  To date, more than 500 young children with autism have benefited from ABA therapies with the promise of continued impact in the lives of thousands more young children with autism in years to come.

"We know what's possible for children with disabilities and their families," said James E. Williams, Jr., president and chief executive officer of Easter Seals. "Thanks to our partnership with CVS Caremark, Easter Seals continues to provide exceptional, evidence-based services to deliver solutions that shape the lives of children and families living with autism."

Local Fundraising Efforts

2011 will mark CVS Caremark's sixth straight year as the National Premier Sponsor of Easter Seals' signature fundraising event, Walk With Me. This year, CVS Caremark associates expect to raise more than $1 million through local community engagement and fundraising at nearly 70 Walk events nationwide.

Over the past five years, CVS Caremark and its more than 200,000 associates across the country have raised more than $7 million for Walk With Me, bringing Easter Seals one step closer to making sure all young kids at risk of disabilities or delays get the early identification and services they need to be school-ready.

"We are very proud of the thousands of CVS Caremark colleagues who are supporting Easter Seals to ensure their services are available to children and families in every community," said Eileen Howard Boone, CVS Caremark Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications and Community Relations. "Together, for the past six years, we have been dedicated to helping children of all abilities reach their highest potential."

CVS Caremark's Support of Easter Seals through All Kids Can To Date

CVS Caremark selected Easter Seals as a national partner in All Kids Can when the program was introduced in 2006.  Since that time, the company, its foundation and its associates have contributed more than $11.5 million to support Easter Seals services in local communities nationwide.

To learn more about the CVS Caremark All Kids Can Program and its support of Easter Seals, visit http://www.cvsallkidscan.com/partners/easter-seals.

To learn more about Easter Seals' Make the First Five Count(SM), visit www.makethefirstfivecount.org and view this internet public service announcement featuring Kyle, a child living with autism: http://www.westglen.com/online/makethefirstfivecount.html.

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 more than 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. Visit www.easterseals.com.

About CVS Caremark All Kids Can

CVS Caremark All Kids Can™, a program of the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust and supported by CVS Caremark, is a commitment to making life easier for children with disabilities. Through this signature program, CVS Caremark and the Trust will support nonprofit organizations that provide innovative programs and services in local communities focused on helping children with disabilities learn, play and succeed in life.

SOURCE Easter Seals