AmerisourceBergen, Good Neighbor Pharmacy network donate $140,000 to nonprofit in support of community playgrounds
VALLEY FORGE, Pa. — AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation and its Good Neighbor Pharmacy network have announced a new charitable endeavor with KaBoom!, a national nonprofit dedicated to giving kids the childhood they deserve by bringing play to those who need it most. The partnership was announced during ABDC’s annual independent community pharmacy tradeshow, ThoughtSpot 2013, held July 24 to 27 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. A total of $140,000 was raised for KaBoom! during the tradeshow, which will be used to build two playgrounds in areas of Oklahoma affected by recent tornados.
According to KaBoom!, kids today are spending less time playing outdoors than any previous generation of children, a fact that is having disastrous consequences on their health, achievement levels, and overall well-being. To fight this play deficit, KaBoom! has mapped over 100,000 places to play, built more than 2,300 playgrounds, and successfully advocated for play policies in hundreds of cities across the country. KaBoom! also provides communities with online tools to self-organize and take action to support play on both a local and national level. ABDC and Good Neighbor Pharmacy are committed to building an additional three playgrounds around the United States through 2014, for a total of five play areas. The additional three locations have not yet been determined.
“As an organization, we are committed to the health and well-being of our customers, our employees and our communities,” said A.J. Caffentzis, senior vice president of sales and marketing, ABDC. “Our Good Neighbor Pharmacy members, in particular, are cornerstones of their local communities. These independent community pharmacies work to improve patient access and patient health in neighborhoods across the country. Therefore, it makes sense that we would partner with a like-minded organization, such as KaBoom!. We look forward to a long-lasting relationship and building safe playgrounds in well-deserving communities across the country.”
Of the $140,000 raised, ThoughtSpot attendees — including Good Neighbor Pharmacy members and other independent community pharmacy owners, exhibitors and associates — contributed $46,000 through a silent auction and charitable giving, while ABDC and Good Neighbor Pharmacy donated $84,000. The Bret Michaels Life Rocks Foundation — which supports diabetes education and cancer awareness, among other endeavors — gave an additional $10,000. Bret Michaels, front man for the rock band Poison, served as special guest entertainer at this year’s ThoughtSpot.
“There’s a notion that play among children is a luxury and the reality is that play is an absolute necessity,” said Darell Hammond, KaBoom! founder and CEO. “Following traumatic events, play becomes even more critical because it provides children with an emotional outlet and helps create a sense of normalcy. We are thrilled to partner with ABDC to ensure that children across the country have great places to play.”
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