CVS Caremark Charitable Trust Awards $3.3 Million to Nonprofit Organizations

WOONSOCKET, R.I., Dec. 21, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The CVS Caremark Charitable Trust announced today that $3.3 million in grants have been awarded to 72 nonprofit organizations across the country. About half of these grants align with CVS Caremark All Kids Can, a signature program focused on making life easier for children with disabilities and their families.  The other half of the grants will provide much-needed support for medical services for the under and uninsured – a population that continues to grow in the downward economy. While the grants fund a wide range of programs, the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust found that approximately 65 percent of the 2010 grant recipients will use the support to address four key areas, including autism and early intervention services; informational and technology tools; life and workforce skills; and access to health care and medical services.

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"The CVS Caremark Charitable Trust is pleased to recognize organizations that are truly making an impact in their communities by offering support for children with disabilities and providing access to health care for the uninsured. This year we are seeing a high demand for support in specific areas including, assistive technology and life skills training programs," said Eileen Howard Dunn, Vice President, CVS Caremark Charitable Trust. "In today's challenging economic climate, the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust is proud to support these organizations in addressing key initiatives that truly make a difference in the lives of children and families in the communities we serve."

Autism

Of the $3.3 million awarded, more than $550,000 will support programs designed to help improve the quality of life for children with autism. Approximately one out of 150 children today are diagnosed with autism and having access to the right support at the earliest stage of life helps provide these children with the skills they need to be successful. Advocates for Children of New York, Inc., is one grant recipient that provides early intervention programs which help improve access to early intervention services for low-income children with disabilities in the New York City area.

Life Skills Training

Programs that provide independent living and life skills are also among the majority of the 2010 grant recipients, totaling approximately $230,000 of the grants awarded. United Cerebral Palsy of Southeastern Wisconsin Inc. was awarded a grant for its training and support program designed to help youth with disabilities, ages 14 to 21, successfully transition into adulthood.

Assistive Technologies

As a result of more parents and educators turning to technology as a resource, the Trust has seen an increase in the demand for assistive technologies as well as online resource development to for parents & caregivers. A number of the 2010 grants will enable nonprofits to provide their communities with innovative technology solutions such as The Assistive Technology Loan Program in North Carolina which provides sensory integration equipment for children with a developmental disability.

Access to Health Care for the Uninsured

Programs which provide communities greater access to health care and medical services were another focus area in need of funding among the 2010 grant recipients. Grants totaling approximately $1.1 million will fund a wide range of services from routine exams to dental and transportation services. The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) in Texas is among the grant recipients that will use the support to fund their Women's Health program which provides uninsured or underinsured women free mammograms.

The complete list of nonprofit organizations awarded CVS Caremark Charitable Trust grants include:

Alabama

• Lakeshore Foundation
• Women's Hope Medical Clinic

Arizona

• Human Services Campus
• Southwest Autism Research And Resource Center

California

• Center for the Education of the Infant Deaf
• Goodwill Industries of Orange County, Inc.
• Mychal's Learning Place, Inc.
• Villa Esperanza Services

Connecticut

• Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, Inc.

District of Columbia

• Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital
• Mary's Center for Maternal and Child Care, Inc.
• Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation
• Smithsonian Institution Office of the Comptroller

Florida

• Dic Nurse & Learn, Inc.

Georgia

• Center for the Visually Impaired

Hawaii

• Waikki Health Center

Illinois

• Family Health Partnership Clinic
• La Rabida Children's Hospital
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation, for Illinois (LISC)
• Northeast DuPage Special Recreation Association

Massachusetts

• Access Sport America, Inc.
• Berklee College of Music, Inc.
• Boston Medical Center Corporation
• Children's Hospital Boston
• League of School of Greater Boston, Inc.
• Northeastern University
• Perkins School for the Blind
• Roman Catholic Bishop Fall River St. Vincent's Home Corp.
• The University of Massachusetts Medical School
• Tufts Medical Center
• Women of Means, Inc.

Maryland

• Autism Society of America
• National Federation of the Blind, Inc.

Michigan

• Young Men's Christian Association of Greater Grand Rapids

Minnesota

• PACER Center, Inc.

North Carolina

• O'Berry Center Foundation
• Presbyterian Hospital Foundation
• Voices Together

New Hampshire

• Families First of the Greater Seacoast

New Jersey

• Community Options, Inc.

Nevada

• Goodwill Industries of Southern Nevada, Inc.

New York

• Advocates for Children New York, Inc.
• Autism Speaks
• March of Dimes Foundation
• National Center for Learning Disabilities, Inc.
• Rochester Institute of Technology & National Technical Institute for the Deaf

Ohio

• United Cerebral Palsy Association of Greater Cleveland, Inc.
• Cleveland Clinic

Oklahoma

• Goodwill Industries of Central Oklahoma, Inc.

Pennsylvania

• Intercommunity Action, Inc.
• Please Touch Museum

Rhode Island

• Best Buddies International, Inc.
• Big Picture Company
• Bradford L. Dunn Institute
• Community Preparatory School
• Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital
• Highlander Charter School & The Dunn Institute for Learning Differences
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation, for Rhode Island (LISC)
• Mary C. Wheeler School, Inc.
• Meeting Street
• Rhode Island Free Clinic, Inc.
• Rhode Island Quality Institute
• Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School
• Special Olympics Rhode Island
• Trinity Repertory Company
• Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island

South Carolina

• YMCA Camp Greenville, a branch of the YMCA of Greenville

Tennessee

• Interfaith Health Clinic, Inc.

Texas

• Autism Service Center of San Antonio
• Young Women's Christian Association

Virginia

• Alexandria Neighborhood Health Services, Inc.

Wisconsin

• United Cerebral Palsy of Southeastern Wisconsin, Inc.

For additional information about the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust or for grant application guidelines & deadlines, visit: http://info.cvscaremark.com/community

About the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust

The CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, Inc. is a private foundation created by CVS Caremark Corporation (NYSE:  CVS).  CVS Caremark is the largest provider of prescriptions and related health care services in the nation.  The Trust's mission is to provide funding for health care, education and community involvement initiatives in CVS Caremark communities. General information about CVS Caremark is available through the Investor Relations portion of the Company's Web site at http://investor.cvs.com, or through the Web site's press room at www.cvs.com/pressroom.

SOURCE CVS Caremark Charitable Trust