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Grants now available to help colleges and universities become 100 percent smoke- and tobacco-free campuses

Grants now available to help colleges and universities become 100 percent smoke- and tobacco-free campuses

 

WOONSOCKET, R.I., 2017-Sep-20 — /EPR Retail News/ — The CVS Health Foundation, American Cancer Society and Truth Initiative today (Sept. 19, 2017) announced that grants are now available to help U.S. colleges and universities advocate for, adopt and implement 100 percent smoke- and tobacco-free campus policies. The grants are part of aggressive efforts by all three organizations to deliver the first tobacco-free generation by accelerating and expanding the number of campuses across the country that prohibit smoking and tobacco use.

The announcement of newly available grants coincides with the awarding of $1.2 million in grants to 126 schools who are working toward a tobacco-free campus policy, the largest number of schools to do so at any one time. Spanning the U.S., the campuses include 43 major academic institutions, including Stanford University and University of Pittsburgh; 34 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) including Howard University; and 49 community colleges. Grantees range from colleges in the early stages of building campus support for going tobacco-free to those that have adopted policies and need support to successfully implement them.

The grants delivered through Truth Initiative and American Cancer Society are part of Be The First, CVS Health’s five-year, $50 million initiative that supports education, tobacco control, and healthy behavior programming with a goal of helping to deliver the nation’s first tobacco-free generation. CVS Health’s efforts targeting college students meet an urgent and critical need. Of the roughly 20 million college and university students in the U.S., more than 1 million have been projected to die prematurely from cigarette smoking.

“We are at a critical moment in our nation’s efforts to end the epidemic of smoking and tobacco use, and expanding the number of tobacco-free college and university campuses is an important step in our efforts,” said Eileen Howard Boone, President of the CVS Health Foundation. “We’re confident our strategy will drive a significant decline in the number of new college-age smokers, and contribute to the progress being made where a tobacco-free generation in the U.S. seems possible.”

With the CVS Health Foundation’s support, the American Cancer Society and Truth Initiative programs help students, faculty and staff develop and execute strategies that are customized to meet the campuses’ unique needs and move the schools toward a 100 percent smoke- and tobacco-free environment. Each organization also provides technical assistance and other resources to schools, including education, communications, support to quit smoking and evaluation.

According to a new survey from CVS Health, public support for smoke- and tobacco-free campus policies remains strong. The results released today revealed that three in four Americans (73%) and eight in 10 current U.S. college students (78%) indicated their support for policies that prohibit smoking and other tobacco use on college campuses. At the same time, 57 percent of U.S. college students say a tobacco-free campus is important to them when considering applying to or attending a college. The findings come from a public opinion poll conducted by Morning Consult for CVS Health in August 2017. For more findings, visit www.cvshealth.com/CampusSurvey.

“While we have made great progress driving down the smoking rate to 6 percent among youth, the prevalence of smoking by young adults is 14.2 percent and those who attend college have a higher risk of initiating and experimenting with smoking,” said Robin Koval, CEO and President of Truth Initiative, the national public health organization that directs and funds the truth campaign. “With 99 percent of smokers starting before age 26, college campuses are critical in preventing young adults from starting tobacco use, aiding current smokers in quitting and reducing exposure to secondhand smoke for all. We are thrilled to be working with the CVS Health Foundation to provide grants to minority-serving institutions, HBCUs, and community colleges to give them the tools to go tobacco-free and be the generation that ends smoking.”

“Tobacco is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States. Cigarette smoking is responsible for approximately 30 percent of all cancer deaths, killing up to half of its users,” said Gary Reedy, CEO of the American Cancer Society, “By partnering with the CVS Health Foundation to create tobacco-free campus environments, we can reduce youth tobacco exposure, prevent students from becoming addicted, and ultimately, reduce the number of people who get sick and die from cancer and other tobacco-related diseases.”

Since the launch of its tobacco-free college program in 2016, the CVS Health Foundation has awarded more than $3 million in grants to 146 U.S. colleges and universities as part of an ongoing commitment to accelerate and expand the number of 100 percent tobacco-free campuses. The U.S. Department of Education reports there are approximately 4,700 U.S. colleges and universities, many of which have more than one campus. Yet, only 1,611 campuses are 100-percent smoke- and tobacco-free, according to an Americans for Nonsmokers Rights analysis.

To see the full list of colleges supported by these grants and for more information on the grant application process, please visit http://www.cvshealth.com/tobaccofreecampus.

Poll Methodology 
The poll was conducted online by Morning Consult for CVS Health between August 4-7, 2017 among a national sample of 2,880 U.S. adults, with an oversample of current college students and parents of current college students. Margin of error is +/-2 percentage points.

About the CVS Health Foundation
The CVS Health Foundation is a private charitable organization created by CVS Health that works to build healthier communities, enabling people of all ages to lead healthy, productive lives. The Foundation provides strategic investments to nonprofit partners throughout the U.S. who help increase community-based access to health care for underserved populations, create innovative approaches to chronic disease management and provide tobacco cessation and youth prevention programming. We also invest in scholarship programs that open the pathways to careers in pharmacy to support the academic aspirations of the best and brightest talent in the industry. Our philanthropy also extends to supporting our colleagues’ spirit of volunteerism through Volunteer Challenge grants to nonprofits where they donate their time and fundraising efforts. To learn more about the CVS Health Foundation and its giving, visit www.cvshealth.com/social-responsibility.

About The American Cancer Society 
The American Cancer Society is a global grassroots force of 2 million volunteers saving lives in every community. As the largest voluntary health organization, the Society’s efforts have contributed to a 25 percent decline in cancer death rates in the U.S. since 1991, and a 50 percent drop in smoking rates. For more information, to get help, or to join the fight, call us anytime, day or night, at (800) 227-2345 or visit cancer.org.

About Truth Initiative
Truth Initiative is dedicated to achieving a culture where all youth and young adults reject tobacco. We speak, seek and spread the truth about tobacco through education, tobacco control research and policy studies, and community activism and engagement. We’ve helped bring teen cigarette use down from 23 percent in 2000 to 7 percent in 2015. We’re proud of that success, but our work won’t stop until we achieve a culture where all youth and young adults reject tobacco. https://truthinitiative.org/

Media Contacts:

Michael Reich
813-838-8912
michael.reich@cancer.org

Nicole Dueffert
202-454-5589
ndueffert@truthinitiative.org

Mary Gattuso
401-770-9811
mary.gattuso@cvshealth.com

SOURCE: CVS Health Foundation

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Chick-fil-A® offers team members up to $25,000 in scholarships, discounts and educational benefits in colleges and universities nationwide

ATLANTA, Ga., 2016-Sep-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — Chick-fil-A® announced today (September 19, 2016) it is expanding and updating the company’s scholarship initiative to offer Team Members maximum flexibility and support in their pursuit of higher education. The changes will more than double the company’s investment in Team Member scholarships – offering $4.9 million in scholarships in 2017 alone – to help students attend the school of their choice, as well as provide access to tuition discounts and other educational benefits at participating schools.

While Chick-fil-A, Inc. has awarded scholarships for more than 40 years, the enhanced educational assistance initiative, called Remarkable Futures, increases the amount of scholarships available. Students can receive up to $25,000 per year, as well as access to tuition discounts and other educational benefits at more than 70 colleges and universities nationwide, to help offset the cost of their education.

A significant, industry-leading initiative in both the number of scholarships awarded (more than 1,850 expected in 2017) and total financial investment in team members ($4.9 Million), Chick-fil-A, Inc.’s scholarship allows recipients to apply the funds to the school of their choice, whether online, on a college campus or at a vocational-technical school. And that’s not the only way Chick-fil-A, Inc. is offering students something different: local restaurant owners will nominate Team Members based on factors like leadership and community involvement, in addition to academic achievement. Chick-fil-A believes that commitment to community is an indicator of leadership and aims to foster future leaders with this initiative. The opportunities are open to Chick-fil-A Team Members who work both full- or part-time in a restaurant, and there is no length-of-service requirement associated with eligibility.

“Working in a Chick-fil-A restaurant is more than just an after-school job,” said Rodney Bullard, vice president of Community Affairs at Chick-fil-A and executive director of the Chick-fil-A Foundation. We want all Chick-fil-A Team Members to become the best they can be, and our educational assistance initiative is one way we are helping them on their journey to becoming leaders in their communities and their careers. We have seen generations of leaders formed in Chick-fil-A restaurants, and we are proud to play a formative role in their future – wherever their journey takes them.”

Starting January 2, 2017, eligible Chick-fil-A Team Members can apply for any of three new educational assistance opportunities:

  • Chick-fil-A Leadership Scholarship: In 2017, 1,850 students will have an opportunity to receive a $2,500 scholarship for the 2017-2018 academic year, with the ability to re-apply for up to four years – for a potential total of up to $10,000 for college while serving as a Chick-fil-A Team Member. These scholarships will be awarded to Chick-fil-A Team Members based on leadership, academic achievement and community involvement. While this scholarship is not new (Chick-fil-A has awarded $36 million since 1973), the amount has more than doubled from the previous scholarship, which offered $1,000 and was non-renewable.
  • True Inspiration Scholarship: In 2017, 12 students will have an opportunity to receive an individual, one-time award of up to $25,000. These scholarships will be awarded to Chick-fil-A Team Members based on leadership, academic achievement, community involvement and demonstrated financial need.
  • Educational Assistance Opportunities: In addition to scholarships, Chick-fil-A is offering Team Members access to tuition discounts and other educational benefits at more than 70 colleges and universities across the country, which can be combined with either of the above scholarships. Opportunities and eligibility vary by school, but educational benefits include tuition discounts up to 30 percent and are effective immediately. For a full list of participating schools, visit chick-fil-a.com/scholarships.

To be eligible for these opportunities, applicants must be employed as a Team Member by a Chick-fil-A Franchisee, a Chick-fil-A, Inc.-operated restaurant, or an STC brand restaurant. Current restaurant team members can learn how to apply through their local Operator, Interim Manager or Executive General Manager.

Chick-fil-A, Inc. began awarding scholarships to Team Members in 1973 based on founder S. Truett Cathy’s desire to incentivize Team Members to further their education. Since then, nearly 36,000 Team Members have received scholarships, bringing the total amount to nearly $36 million applied at more than 3,000 schools nationwide.

About Chick-fil-A, Inc. 

Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc. is a family owned and privately held restaurant company founded in 1964 by S. Truett Cathy. Devoted to serving the local communities in which its franchised restaurants operate, and known for its original chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A serves freshly prepared food in more than 2,000 restaurants in 43 states and Washington, D.C.

Chick-fil-A system sales exceeded $6 billion in 2015, which marks 48 consecutive years of sales growth. Chick-fil-A earned a top spot in the 2015 Customer Service Hall of Fame for the second year in a row and is the only quick service restaurant to make the Customer Service Hall of Fame. The company was also the only restaurant brand named to the Top 10 “Best Companies to Work For” by 24/7 Wall Street. More information on Chick-fil-A is available on the chain’s website located at www.chick-fil-a.com.

Corporate Media Hotline: (800) 404-7196

Email: cfapressroom@chick-fil-a.com

Twitter: @ChickfilANews

Source: Chick-fil-A