CVS 2002 Annual Report Download - page 13

Making Life Better for our Communities
As much as we strive to make life easier for our
customers, we also work toward improving life in the
communities where we do business. We support health and
education programs that enable people to live life to its
fullest.
We form partnerships with schools in our communities,
such as the CVS Highlander Charter School in Providence,
R.I. It is the state’s first charter elementary school, utilizing a
variety of innovative approaches to educating students. The
CVS/pharmacy Science Classroom at the MATCH School in
Boston provides extensive traditional and state-of-the-art
science education programs to help prepare inner-city
Boston teenagers to succeed in college. The CVS/pharmacy
Professional Practice Laboratory is part of Wayne State
University in Detroit, where students are trained for future
careers in pharmacy and other healthcare professions.
Our largest single charitable event is the CVS/pharmacy
Charity Golf Classic, an annual three-day tournament
featuring PGA pros. In just four years, this event has
contributed more than $2.3 million to non-profit
organizations.
In 2002, CVS continued its practice of providing
assistance to markets impacted by natural disasters such as
tornados and floods. During the past year, we donated
water, food items, first aid supplies, hygiene products, and
other merchandise to aid disaster relief efforts in Tug Valley,
Kentucky; LaPlata, Maryland; Southport, Indiana; and Van
Wert, Ohio.
In addition to emergency efforts, long-standing
community programs continue to thrive, such as Reach Out
and Read, our child literacy program; the CVS Innovations
Grants Program, which supports innovative education
programs at schools in many of our markets; the CVS
Charitable Trust Volunteer Challenge Grants, through which
we award more than 400 donations annually to non-profit
agencies on behalf of CVS employees who volunteer at
these organizations; and the CVS/Samaritan Vans, which
patrol the highways in many cities and provide free
roadside assistance to tens of thousands of motorists
every year.
We also continue to support numerous organizations
such as the American Heart Association, the United Way,
the National Colon Cancer Awareness Campaign, and many
others to promote advocacy, prevention, and cures for
diseases. Using resources ranging from financial support to
the talents of our colleagues, CVS remains dedicated to its
vision of helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives
in the communities we serve every day.