CECP Presents 2014 Excellence Award to Direct Relief for Exemplary Collaboration with FedEx

Eileen Howard Boone, CVS Caremark, Recognized as a Force for Good
May 20, 2014 11:00 AM ET

New York, NY, May 20, 2014 /3BL Media/ CECP, a coalition of 150 CEOs united in the belief that societal improvement is an essential measure of business performance, presented its 2014 Directors’ Award to humanitarian aid organization Direct Relief for its collaboration with FedEx. Their joint program Ensuring Access to Health During Emergencies has worked since 1993 to improve the health of people affected by natural disasters or by the daily emergency of limited access to medical care throughout the world. The Directors’ Award is given annually to honor an exemplary collaboration between a company and a nonprofit in combating a critical societal issue. The Directors’ Award is open to 501(c)3 organizations with an annual operating budget equal to or exceeding $500,000. This award includes a $25,000 cash donation made by CECP’s Board of Directors to the winning nonprofit.

Celebrating her perseverance in the pursuit of societal advancement, Eileen Howard Boone, Senior Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility & Philanthropy, CVS Caremark and President, CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, was awarded The Charles H. Moore Award for Leadership in Corporate Community Engagement. In addition to her role in the recent decision by CVS Caremark to ban the sale of tobacco products in its stores, Boone initiated the CVS Caremark All Kids Can program in partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers, developed the Innovations in Community Health program, and under Eileen’s leadership, CVS Caremark has donated more than $75 million in 2013 alone to help promote better health. The Charles H. Moore Award is given to a leading corporate giving professional with a distinguished record of service in corporate societal engagement at a for-profit company with annual revenues in excess of $2 billion.

These awards were presented at the 2014 CECP Summit in New York City.

The winners of two additional Excellence Awards were presented at CECP’s Board of Boards CEO Roundtable on February 24, 2014 in front of an audience of 50 of the world’s leading CEOs. The Chairman’s Award was accepted by Greg Page, Executive Chairman, Cargill, for its Rural Development Initiative program, in partnership with CARE. The President’s Award was accepted by Anthony F. Earley Jr., Chairman, CEO, and President, PG&E, for its Solar Habitat Program, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. This year’s Excellence Award winners join a distinguished roster of past recipients, and take part in a year-long awareness-building effort by CECP. 

“CECP’s awards recognize businesses, non-profits, and individuals that demonstrate strong connections between community solutions and business strategy,” stated Daryl Brewster, CEO, CECP. “This year’s winners used their resources, know-how, and passion to address tough societal issues and exhibit in a forthright way the win-win nature of business investing in society.”

“FedEx is a force multiplier in Direct Relief’s humanitarian efforts and has brought amazing scale, efficiency, and precision to helping people in poverty or affected by disasters get the critical help they need,” said Thomas Tighe, President and CEO of Direct Relief. “In the U.S. alone, more than 10 million people have received over $400 million in needed medications – all delivered by FedEx. And the FedEx-provided emergency airlift of medical supplies to care for 250,000 people in the Philippines typhoon crisis six months ago was a powerful example of the essential, lifesaving activity that simply could not happen without this type of collaboration.”

“As a CSR professional, I am truly honored to receive this recognition highlighting the importance of the role companies can play in driving social change,” stated Eileen Howard Boone. “As a pharmacy innovation company, CVS Caremark takes its role in the health of local communities very seriously and we are committed to helping people on their path to better health and creating positive health outcomes nationwide. I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish in the area of community health.”

Past Excellence Awards winners include IBM, The Mosaic Company, Kraft Foods, Xylem Inc., Good360 in partnership with The Home Depot, DonorsChoose.org in partnership with Crate and Barrel, and more. This is the first annual Charles H. Moore Award. 

Applications for the 2015 Excellence Awards are available now through June 30th, 2014. CECP encourages companies of all sizes—not only CECP members—and nonprofits engaged in a transformative partnership with a company to apply for these highly regarded recognitions. Resources to assist in filling out the applications are available on the Excellence Awards section of the CECP website. Applications for the Charles H. Moore Award are also available online and require a nomination from a peer professional at a for-profit organization. 

Presented annually since 2000, award applications for the Directors’, Chairman’s, and President’s Awards are juried by an external Selection Committee that is comprised of representatives from corporate, nonprofit, consulting, media, and academic communities. Companies and nonprofits honored with these awards exemplify the Standards of Excellence: CEO leadership, innovation, dedication to measurement, and partnership. CECP knows that these four elements are crucial to the success of any program addressing pressing societal needs.

In addition to recognition at the ceremonies where the awards are presented, Excellence Awards winners are featured in a video shown at the event, listed on CECP’s website, and highlighted through other communications channels. CECP works with the communications teams of the winning organizations to raise awareness through the media throughout the year and hold the programs up as models. Additional information on this year’s winners can be found on the Excellence Awards section of the CECP website.  

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About CECP
CECP is a coalition of CEOs united in the belief that societal improvement is an essential measure of business performance. Founded in 1999 by Paul Newman and other business leaders, CECP has grown to a movement of 150 CEOs of the world’s largest companies across all industries. Revenues of engaged companies sum to $7 trillion annually. A nonprofit organization, CECP offers participating companies one-on-one consultation, networking events, exclusive data, media support and case studies on corporate engagement. For more information, visit http://cecp.co

About the Excellence Awards
Excellence Awards winners are added to a distinguished roster of companies that take part in an ongoing awareness building effort on their behalf by CECP. The storytelling that emerges from the awards brings corporate societal engagement to life, and the awards process allows companies to strengthen that story and share it among a wider audience. Presented annually since 2000, these awards are juried by an external Selection Committee that is comprised of representatives from the corporate, nonprofit, consulting, media, and academic communities. For more information, visit http://cecp.co/events/excellence-awards.html

About Direct Relief
Direct Relief is a nonpartisan humanitarian organization that improves the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergency situations by mobilizing and providing essential medical resources needed for their care. With the material and financial contributions from companies, individuals, and foundations, Direct Relief equips healthcare providers on the ground with the essential medical supplies to help people in need.  The organization is the only U.S. nonprofit to obtain Verified Accredited Wholesale Distributor (VAWD)© certification by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, has top charity ratings, including four-star and “top-notch” rating from Charity Navigator, and a 100% fundraising efficiency rating from Forbes magazine. Among other distinctions, Direct Relief was the 2011 winner of the Peter F. Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation and received the 2013 President’s Award from Esri. For more information, visit www.DirectRelief.org.

About CVS Caremark
CVS Caremark is the largest pharmacy health care provider in the United States with integrated offerings across the entire spectrum of pharmacy care. Through its unique suite of assets, it is reinventing pharmacy to offer innovative solutions that help people on their path to better health. They are focused on enhancing access to care, lowering overall health care costs for plan members and payors, and improving health outcomes. For more information, visit http://info.cvscaremark.com/about-us