NEW YORK, Nov. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Mutual of America announced today that Ryan's Case for Smiles was named a Merit Finalist award recipient in the 2015 Community Partnership Award competition.

Ryan's Case for Smiles was founded in 2007 by Cindy Kerr, who began making colorful pillowcases to brighten her son Ryan's hospital room as he battled cancer. The program, which is dedicated solely to helping sick children cope with the stress of their illnesses or injuries, began with a simple goal: to create and distribute whimsical pillowcases that give children an emotional boost and remind them that they are not defined by their illness.

The program has expanded to include an innovative partnership with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder experts at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, providing access to valuable web-based information and tools designed to help families understand and navigate traumatic illness. Ryan's Case for Smiles serves nearly 50,000 children and families each year and has delivered more than one million pillowcases to more than 330 children's hospitals.

"Working together to create a unique pillowcase is an empowering experience, especially for children who often feel powerless in a hospital environment," said Ms. Kerr. "Through these vital partnerships, every stitch, every yard of fabric and every pillowcase brings us closer to our goal of helping kids feel better to heal better."

About the Mutual of America Community Partnership Award

The Mutual of America Community Partnership Award annually honors the outstanding contributions that 10 nonprofit organizations, in partnership with public, private and other social sector organizations, make to society. Celebrating its 20^th Anniversary, the Community Partnership Award has recognized 200 partnerships from cities and towns across America since 1996. To learn more, visit mutualofamerica.com/cpa. To watch videos of all 20 national award-winning programs, visit the official YouTube channel for the Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award.

About Mutual of America

Mutual of America specializes in providing retirement products and  services to organizations and their employees, as well as to individuals. Since 1945, Mutual of America has remained committed to offering plan sponsors, plan participants and individuals carefully selected, quality products and services at a competitive price and the personal attention they need to help build and preserve assets for a financially secure future. For more information, visit mutualofamerica.com.

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SOURCE Mutual of America

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