Diplomat provides funding to launch Hero Town Flint, a nonprofit effort focused on area youth

FLINT, Mich., Sept. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Diplomat, the nation's largest independent specialty pharmacy, announced today that it is partnering with area leaders to provide the necessary funding to expand Dr. Phil Zimbardo's Hero Imagination Project (HIP) to the Flint area. The HIP's licensed empowerment programs will be used as a catalyst to transform Flint from one of the most dangerous communities in the country into the nation's first "Hero Town."

HIP is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization created to broaden awareness of human social tendencies and teach effective action in challenging situations to foster pro-social behavior. Zimbardo, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Stanford University, leads the effort to translate extensive research findings in social psychology and related fields into meaningful tools that can be used in everyday life to transform negative situations into positive change. Dr. Zimbardo specializes in psychological foundations of negative forms of social influence and is focused on understanding the nature of everyday heroism and the psychology of personal and social growth.

Zimbardo was the keynote speaker at last year's Hero Round Table conference in Flint where researchers came from all over the world to discuss various aspects of heroism. Diplomat was the title sponsor for the 2013 international conference and will continue to be the title sponsor for the next two years as an impetus to philanthropically transform the perception of the Flint community. One year later, leaders have purchased a license to implement Zimbardo's curriculum and conduct subsequent hero research in Flint to help drive the city's transformation. Local obstetrician & gynecologist, Dr. Nita Kulkarni is among the group of community leaders who have been working with Zimbardo to secure the funding.

Kulkarni has been working with Matt Langdon and Adam Hartley, organizers of the annual Hero Round Table, to create Hero Town Flint, a non-profit that will manage the expansion of HIP's programs in Flint and oversee the implementation of hero training workshops in after school groups and community youth organizations. The research-tested curriculum will create awareness among Flint students while introducing the most effective tools to combat negative social conformity, the bystander effect, and to empower Flint's youth to take action in their community.

Flint native Cora Keene, the Executive Administrator for HIP, will return to her hometown in September to train key leaders in the community, from educators to business owners, who have stepped up to make the heroism effort effective and successful. Those trained will be certified to administer the hero training workshops for students, employees and community groups exclusively in Genesee County. 

"We are creating a new generation of better citizens who will be emblematic of the best Flint, Michigan has to offer," Zimbardo said.

Diplomat has donated a total of $20,000 towards the Hero Foundation, a portion of which will be used to secure licensing of the HIP curriculum. Diplomat is also the title sponsor for the Sept. 19-20 Hero Round Table Conference at the Whiting, and will put forth an additional $25,000 to purchase 200 tickets for community leaders and its employees.

"I believe that heroism can have a significant impact on this community," said Phil Hagerman, Diplomat CEO. "This effort is providing the latest research and tools to change the lives of individuals and the reputation of the greater Flint community."

To learn more, please contact Ellie Jacques, at [email protected].

About Diplomat
Diplomat serves patients and physicians in all 50 states as the nation's largest independent specialty pharmacy. Headquartered in Flint, Michigan, the company focuses on medication management programs for people with complex chronic diseases, including oncology, immunology, hepatitis, multiple sclerosis, HIV, specialized infusion therapy and many other serious or long-term conditions. Diplomat opened its doors in 1975 as a neighborhood pharmacy with one essential tenet: "Take good care of patients, and the rest falls into place." Today, that tradition continues – always focused on improving adherence and outcomes. For more information visit www.diplomat.is. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and like us on Facebook.

CONTACT:
Abigail Bearman, Diplomat
810.768.9563 | [email protected]

Steve Wolbert, Diplomat
810.768.9313 | [email protected]

SOURCE Diplomat