Bridget-ann Hart presents the check to Franklin Fry of the Heart Association.
OSWEGO, NY – By just a bit more than $30, a Gouverneur-based, employee-owned company bested a Wall Street company to be the No.1 fundraiser nationally for the American Heart Association’s Wear Red Day.
Kinney Drugs, the drug store division of KPH Healthcare Services, Inc., received the top honor after raising $30,000 during its 2016 Heart Health campaign.
This donation edged out all other companies in the nation, including Wall Street financial firm Morgan Stanley, which ranked number 2 with a donation of $29,969.
On Wednesday (July 20), the Kinney Drugs store at 174 W. Bridge St. was the site for a very special check presentation; the Oswego, Kinney Drugs presented the American Heart Association with the huge check.
Bridget-ann Hart, R.Ph., president and CEO of KPH Healthcare Services, praised the entire team in the Oswego store for its efforts.
“This donation that we’re making is really a reflection of the organization that we are,” she said. “We are only as strong as the communities that we serve. And we have a very distinct responsibility to give back to those communities.”
Heart disease is the number 1 killer of women, she pointed out, add that in many cases, it is preventable.
“That’s why it is so important for everyone to know their numbers – cholesterol, blood sugar their body mass index, and of course their blood pressure,” she said. “That’s why it is very important for everyone to take care of their heart.”
“It’s a great honor to announce that our local, employee-owned Kinney Drugs raised the most money in the eight-state Founders Affiliate during our 2016 Wear Red Day campaign,” said Franklin Fry, executive director, American Heart Association Greater Syracuse. “According to our data, they are also number 1 in the entire country! We congratulate them on this great accomplishment.”
“We are extremely humble by the relationship that we have with Kinney Drugs,” he continued. “Heart disease is the number 1 killer of women; it is 80 percent preventable. It is preventable through lifestyle change, diet, smoking cessation and physical activity. To be in a company where that is embraced by the employees, the leadership and the customers of Kinney Drugs is very humbling for us.”
Always the first Friday in February, Wear Red Day raises awareness about and the funds to fight heart disease in women, Fry said, adding, “It falls within National Heart Month – February.”
On Wear Red Day, businesses nationwide invite their staff to wear red and donate $5 each to the American Heart Association.
Kinney has gone above and beyond that, he said.
“They extended this one-day promotion to be a month-long campaign of awareness and fundraising to get the message out,” Fry said.
They invited their customers, staff and vendors to make a few donations.
“Those donations built up into this staggeringly large check,” he said. “$30,000, that represents all of the support through Kinney and we are very grateful for every single one of those donations.”
Of the thousands of companies that took part in the effort, “This is the largest corporate support that we have ever gotten from any of those companies,” he added. “Kinney is the top fundraising company in the country to support the American Heart Association.”
He presented Hart with a plaque in recognition of Kinney’s support.
Employees from all divisions of KPH Healthcare Services, including ProAct, Inc., Health Direct and Noble Health Services, also contributed to the fundraising efforts.
Oswego Mayor William Barlow applauded Kinney’s efforts.
“The display of kindness and support that we just saw here isn’t just exclusive to today,” he said. It is something Kinney’s does throughout the year, he said.
“They chose the shortest month of the year to raise $30,000. Imagine what they would have done with 31 days,” said Greg Mills, executive director of the Greater Oswego-Fulton Chamber of Commerce. “This is just a great example of the community partnering with the businesses to improve the quality of life and help all our residents.”
“This partnership was created in an effort to not only raise awareness for heart disease but to take action and to fight back,” Jim Spencer, president of Kinney Drugs stores, said in a press statement. “The continued support and generosity of our customers, employees and business partners is unparalleled. They are the reason Kinney Drugs has been recognized as the top fundraising company in the country!”
These funds will support what is raised throughout the year for the Syracuse Go Red For Women campaign. Central New York receives about $1.2 million for research.
Hart is serving for the third year on the executive leadership team for that campaign, which will culminate with the 2016 Go Red for Women Luncheon on October 27 at the Oncenter, Syracuse.
“The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association is also immensely proud of the contributions Kinney Drugs has made towards the health of our community,” Fry said. “Not only have they taken steps such as moving tobacco products out of sightlines of customers in many of their stores and focused on the heart health of women throughout American Heart Month in February, they have also dedicated significant financial support for the work of the AHA/ASA. We are grateful to all those at Kinney Drugs, both staff and customers alike, for their contributions, which will allow the AHA/ASA to better meet its mission – working for a world free of heart disease and stroke.”
About the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association
The American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association are devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – the two leading causes of death in the world.
They team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases.
The American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke.
The American Stroke Association is a division of the American Heart Association.
To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of their offices around the country.
Follow them on Facebook and Twitter
About Kinney Drugs
Kinney Drugs is the drug store division of KPH Healthcare Services, Inc., a leading pharmacy health care company that strives to provide the highest-quality pharmacy, health and retail services in the communities served.
Founded in 1903 by Burt Orrin Kinney, Kinney Drugs now operates 100 drug stores in Central and Northern New York and Vermont, as well as a distribution center.
Kinney Drugs is an employee-owned company headquartered in upstate New York.
For more information, visit www.kinneydrugs.com
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