CVS Caremark awards $4.2M to nonprofits in 22 states

CVS Caremark Corp. has awarded $4.2 million in grants to nonprofits in 22 states to support programs for children with disabilities and the uninsured or underinsured, including $1.9 million to eight organizations in Rhode Island.
The grants, which provide single and multi-year funding for programs, were given through the company’s private foundation, the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust and the CVS Caremark All Kids Can program.
The money for Rhode Island includes funding for Women & Infants Hospital’s Comprehensive Health Integration for Preemies, which provides specialized care and family support for very-low-birth-weight infants to improve their health and avoid rehospitalizations, and for a new headquarters in Smithfield for the Special Olympics of Rhode Island.
Other local grant recipients include the Bradford L. Dunn Institute, Families First, the Highlander Charter School, The Providence Center, Rhode Island School of Design, and the Rhode Island chapter of the Local Initiatives Support Corp., all in Providence.
Eleven grants were given to Massachusetts nonprofits, including The Arc of Northern Bristol County, in Attleboro; the Hockomock Area YMCA, in North Attleboro; and the Kennedy-Donovan Center, in Foxboro.
“In today’s economic climate it’s more important than ever to support organizations that can have a positive impact on children with disabilities and their families,” said Eileen Howard Dunn, senior vice president of the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, in a news release.
These grant recipients were chosen, she added, “because they align with our mission to promote inclusion, increase access to medical therapies and improve academic performance of children with disabilities.”
For the past three years, the trust has focused on children with disabilities, in line with the company’s All Kids Can program, a five-year, $25 million pledge to support children with disabilities by raising awareness in schools and in local communities about the importance of inclusion, creating greater opportunities for physical activity and play, and providing access to medical rehabilitation and related services.
So far, the program has made an impact on nearly 250,000 children, the company said.
The trust is now accepting applications for 2009 grants, with a June 15 deadline. For more information, go to www.cvscaremark.com.