Meet the 2022 recipients of the Sun Life Team Up Against Diabetes grant program

WELLESLEY, Mass., Sept. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sun Life has named six community organizations as recipients of its 2022 Team Up Against Diabetes grants. Sun Life annually awards grants to organizations around the country that help improve people's health and serve those living with or at-risk for diabetes. Programs provide health and wellness services for diabetes prevention, awareness, education, management, and care to underserved and under-resourced communities most vulnerable to diabetes. As part of Sun Life's broader focus on improving access to health services for communities that need it most, these grants have helped educate people about the impact of diabetes and the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

"We are committed to helping more people in underserved communities access the services and tools that can help them live healthier lives," said Dan Fishbein, M.D., president, Sun Life U.S. "Sun Life proudly offers the Team Up Against Diabetes grant program each year to help these local organizations be health heroes in their communities. They truly make a difference for those living with or at-risk for diabetes."

The 2022 recipients of the Sun Life Team Up Against Diabetes grant program are:

AdventHealth Foundation Central Florida, AdventHealth for Children's Healthy Weight & Wellness Program, Orlando, Fla.
AdventHealth's Healthy Weight and Wellness program is a comprehensive health and wellness program that provides children and families with proven tools to live a healthy, active life by combining family education and support with professional medical services to combat obesity. Sun Life's grant will help serve over 100 low-income children and teens and their families, supporting programming in nutrition, health coaching and physical activities.

Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio, Farmacy in the City: Diabetes Defense, Columbus, Ohio
The Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio provides affordable and appropriate pharmacy services to underserved communities, as well as access to healthcare, nutritious food, affordable medicine, and health education. The goal of the newly established Sun Life Farmacy in the City program is to assist people in managing their diabetes and improving their overall health. Patients receive prescriptions for fresh food, cooking and meal planning guidance, and diabetes supplies. Sun Life's grant will help fund testing supplies, disease self-monitoring equipment, educational materials and staff support for more than 700 patients, as well as broaden access to nutritious foods in areas where residents don't have full-service grocery stores.

Progreso Latino, Salud, Salsa and Sabor, Central Falls, R.I.
Progreso Latino is the only Latino-led, bilingual organization in Rhode Island offering diabetes programming. The Salud, Salsa and Sabor program aims to address issues of health equity by combining traditional diabetes prevention programming with food access and physical activities. The program is offered bilingually, in a virtual/hybrid format, with the goal of instilling behavioral changes and promoting weight loss to prevent or manage diabetes. Sun Life's grant will support one-on-one coaching, community and medical referrals, weekly workshops and nutrition classes.

The Sportsmen's Tennis & Enrichment Center, Cooking & Culture, Dorchester, Mass.
The Cooking & Culture program offers nutrition education for elementary school students, seeking to foster nutritional knowledge, diabetes prevention, and empowerment in vulnerable children. Sun Life's grant will support expenses, program materials, weekly farm share fruits and vegetables for all participants, and field trips. Supporting the Blue Hill Corridor of Boston, Sportsmen's Center works with some of the most underserved communities in Boston, of which 94 percent identify as persons of color, and 88 percent of households speak a language other than English. The program aims to address issues of health disparity in Greater Boston.

Sugga Mama's Diabetes Prevention & Management, Diabetes/Prediabetes Boot Camp, Philadelphia
Sugga Mama's supports underserved and vulnerable women and families living with diabetes and prediabetes. Sun Life's grant will support virtual sessions of The Boot Camp Experience, which serves communities where less than 50 percent of the population has received any formal diabetes education. The program offers interactive workshops consisting of low impact cardio workouts, educational sessions, goal setting and healthy coping.

University of Michigan School of Social Work, Michigan Men's Health Education Project, Ann Arbor, Mich.
University of Michigan's Men's Health Education Project aims to reach Black men in the Detroit area to help them better manage their type 2 diabetes. Tailored from an existing peer program, the Project works with male barbers as peer leader health advocates, targeting diabetes-related lifestyle and self-management behaviors. Sun Life's grant will support staffing, participant incentives, and equipment, including health monitoring devices.

Grant recipients are chosen each year by a panel of experts from Sun Life and business partners. The panel reviews the applications and determines the organizations that have demonstrated innovative approaches to diabetes support, education, and broadening access to nutrition and health services. This year's panel included:

John Adams, lead product manager, Sun Life
Irlande Audenier, vice president, Group and Voluntary Claims, Sun Life
Angel Bennett, long-term disability case manager, Sun Life
Kim Coutinho, director, Distribution Learning & Development, Sun Life
Amy Deschaines, vice president, account executive, Lockton Companies
Dr. Tracy Hamill, assistant vice president, medical director, Sun Life
Ann-Marie Hejna, manager, Business Development, ComPsych
Tammi Hendrick, senior executive administrative assistant, Sun Life
Gina Hill, quality development analyst, Sun Life
Latoya Keatts, long-term disability claims case manager, Sun Life
Peter Kilmartin, senior vice president, Aon
Glenna Lasater, vice president of Human Resources, MGIS Companies
Andre Lockett, broker services licensing specialist, Sun Life

Since the Team Up Against Diabetes grant program began in 2016, Sun Life U.S. has given more than $32 million to diabetes and health programs. Sun Life also partners with the American Diabetes Association in support of the Project Power program, the Boston Celtics in support of the YMCA of Greater Boston's diabetes education and fitness programs, and the Kansas City Royals in support of diabetes programs in Kansas City.

About Sun Life
Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing asset management, wealth, insurance and health solutions to individual and institutional Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of June 30, 2022, Sun Life had total assets under management of C$1.26 trillion. For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

In the United States, Sun Life is one of the largest group benefits providers, serving more than 55,000 employers in small, medium and large workplaces across the country. Sun Life's broad portfolio of insurance products and services in the U.S. includes disability, absence management, life, dental, vision, voluntary and medical stop-loss. Sun Life and its affiliates in asset management businesses in the U.S. employ approximately 8,000 people. Group insurance policies are issued by Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (Wellesley Hills, Mass.), except in New York, where policies are issued by Sun Life and Health Insurance Company (U.S.) (Lansing, Mich.). For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com/us.

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