WELLESLEY, Mass. and MERRIFIELD, Va., May 2, 2023
/PRNewswire/ -- Sun Life U.S. has renewed its partnership with the
American Diabetes Association® (ADA) with a three-year
commitment to continue its national sponsorship of Project Power.
The ADA's youth-focused program educates children, ages 5 – 12, to
help them make healthy lifestyle choices and develop lifelong,
sustainable healthy habits. Support of the ADA and diabetes
programs is part of Sun Life's focus on broadening access to health
services and programs for underserved and at-risk communities to
help people live healthier lives.
Sun Life will work closely with the ADA to provide access to new
resources for kids and their families through engaging
presentations at Project Power Parent Meetings, while also
continuing to support the growth of the program in communities that
need it most.
"We are proud to continue supporting the American Diabetes
Association. Our partnership has helped improve access to diabetes
programs for underserved communities around the country," said
Dan Fishbein, M.D., president of Sun
Life U.S. "The ADA does wonderful work supporting children and
their families as they learn to live with diabetes and better
manage their health. We look forward to continuing our work with
the ADA to grow the Project Power program and help more children
embrace healthier lifestyles."
Project Power is available in every U.S. state and offered at
no-cost. The program uses a curriculum of nutrition and fitness, as
well as family engagement, including diabetes risk assessments and
resources for parents. Sun Life has supported Project Power for
more than two years, after working with the ADA on several other
programs, including providing support for the ADA's grassroot
advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill.
Project Power tackles childhood prediabetes and helps reduce its
consequences. The program promotes healthy food choices, increasing
physical activity and building family and peer support, through a
mixture of local, in-person events and virtual, nationwide
programming. In 2022, Project Power reached over 27,000 kids across
the U.S., up from 4,600 participants in the prior year. Program
directors survey participants to gauge effectiveness of the
curriculum. Some results include:
- Knowledge – 74% of participants can correctly identify healthy
foods/elements of a healthy plate.
- Self-efficacy – 80% of participants are confident that they can
exercise at least five times per week.
- Behavior – 69% of participants reported less than two hours of
screen time per day.
"We are thrilled to have Sun Life's support in growing the
Project Power program, directly engaging families in embracing
health habits," said Charles D.
Henderson, chief executive officer for the ADA. "Sun Life
has shown long-term commitment to the ADA and our mission of
helping people with diabetes, especially children, live healthier
and thrive."
Diabetes has been Sun Life's global philanthropic focus for more
than a decade, with a strong commitment to supporting at-risk
communities that often lack access to diabetes prevention and
management resources at disproportionate levels. Additional support
is provided through the Sun Life U.S. Team Up Against Diabetes
grant program, which helps non-profit organizations around the
country focused on nutrition, obesity prevention and physical
activity. Sun Life U.S. also partners with the Boston Celtics and
Kansas City Royals to support diabetes and health programs in each
community.
About Sun Life
Sun Life is a leading international
financial services organization providing asset management, wealth,
insurance and health solutions to individual and institutional
Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide,
including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong
Kong, the Philippines,
Japan, Indonesia, India, China,
Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of December
31, 2022, Sun Life had total assets under management of
C$1.33 trillion. For more
information, please visit www.sunlife.com.
Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New
York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the
ticker symbol SLF.
Sun Life U.S. is one of the largest providers of employee and
government benefits, helping more than 50 million Americans access
the healthcare and coverage they need. Through employers, industry
partners and government programs, Sun Life offers a portfolio of
benefits and services, including dental, vision, disability,
absence management, life, supplemental health, medical stop-loss
insurance, and healthcare navigation. Sun Life U.S. and affiliated
companies in asset management employ approximately 8,000 people in
the U.S. Group insurance policies are issued by Sun Life Assurance
Company of Canada (Wellesley Hills, Mass.), except in
New York, where policies are
issued by Sun Life and Health Insurance Company (U.S.)
(Lansing, Mich.). For more
information visit our website and newsroom.
About the American Diabetes Association
The American
Diabetes Association (ADA) is the nation's leading voluntary health
organization fighting to bend the curve on the diabetes epidemic
and help people living with diabetes thrive. For 82 years, the ADA
has driven discovery and research to treat, manage, and prevent
diabetes while working relentlessly for a cure. Through advocacy,
program development, and education we aim to improve the quality of
life for the over 133 million Americans living with diabetes or
prediabetes. Diabetes has brought us together. What we do next will
make us Connected for Life®. To learn more or to get
involved, visit us at diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES
(1-800-342-2383). Join the fight with us on Facebook (American
Diabetes Association), Spanish Facebook (Asociación Americana de la
Diabetes), LinkedIn (American Diabetes Association), Twitter
(@AmDiabetesAssn), and Instagram (@AmDiabetesAssn).
Media contacts
Devon Fernald
Sun Life U.S.
Devon.Portney.Fernald@sunlife.com
781-800-3609
Rebecca Fisher
American Diabetes Association
press@diabetes.org
703-253-4918
Connect with Sun Life U.S.
https://www.facebook.com/SLFUnitedStates
https://www.linkedin.com/company/sun-life-financial
https://twitter.com/SunLifeUS
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sun-life-us-renews-national-partnership-with-american-diabetes-association-with-500-000-to-support-project-power-youth-program-301813298.html
SOURCE Sun Life U.S.