Tom Ridge Joins Us to Lift Up Military Veterans

Tom Ridge, first Secretary of Homeland Security and former governor of Pennsylvania, joined Heather Nauert of Fox News, Major General Mark Graham, Brigadier General Allyson Solomon, Marianne Downs from Lockheed Martin, and Kerri Childress from Fisher House Foundation for Community Health Charities’ recent veterans’ event. Our session Exploring Cross-Sector Collaboration to Advance Military, Veterans and First Responders’ Health at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Corporate Citizenship Conference opened with a keynote by Ridge, followed by a panel on the critical physical and mental health needs of veterans. We also formally launched Hero’s Health, benefiting our member charities. Check out the resources and ways for your business or employees to get engaged, view event photos, and read our CEO Tom Bognanno’s post.

A shorter version appeared on the Chamber’s website.

Zika Response Featured in USA Today and CNN

Community Health Charities’ work on Zika Response to raise awareness and funding for March of Dimes and CDC Foundation was featured in a front page USA Today story as well as more than 90 other articles across the country, including Citizen Times and many others. Our CEO Tom Bognanno’s op-ed, “Businesses Must Step Up in Zika Fight” also appeared online on Huffington Post, plus check out our Spanish-speaking CNN en Espanol interview with Juan Carlos Lopez. We are currently offering Zika resources in both English and Spanish on our website, as well as our Zika Response Fund.

Fighting for Women’s Health

At the end of October, we launched the East Bay Breast Cancer Fund, bringing together Black Women’s Health Imperative, Sutter Health/Better Health East Bay and Susan G. Komen to change how we raise dollars for critical community health needs. In the East Bay, just outside San Francisco, Black, Hispanic and Asian women experience a higher loss of life to breast cancer. African-American women are estimated to be 40 percent more likely to die of breast cancer than Caucasian women, according to recent statistics. But many of these lives can be saved with increased access to screenings and early diagnosis. That’s why our goal is to help more women #GetScreened. We’ve already rolled out this fund in workplace giving programs in more than 150 businesses in California, including the City of Oakland and City of Berkley. Learn more about the fund:, read this blog post by Jim Hickman, CEO of Better Health East Bay, or check out some of the media coverage like this story in The Daily Californian.

A Holiday Care Package for Caregivers

Over 43 million Americans serve as unpaid caregivers for loved ones young and old. Check out our CEO’s Huffington Post blog with tips and resources for caregivers to handle everyday stress, the holidays, and getting the help they need.

#GivingTuesday Launches Giving Lab

In 2016, #GivingTuesday raised nearly $168 million. #GivingTuesday recently announced the creation of the Giving Lab, a resource portal that allows visitors to read, download, comment and engage with the latest research about giving from around the globe. To learn more, click here.

Plus, you can get involved in #MyGivingStory, a nationwide campaign and social media storytelling contest about why people give. The winners’ featured nonprofit organizations will receive grant prizes of $2,500-$10,000. Submissions will be open until December 31 at 5:00 PM (ET).  Learn more about #MyGivingStory.

ELKAYCares Campaign up 22%

Community Health Charities is proud to be a part of ELKAYCares, a comprehensive community giving and volunteering program. Elkay’s 2016/2017 campaign results speak for themselves – this Community Health Charities campaign had a 22% increase over last year. The Elkay Manufacturing Company has more than 3,500 employees worldwide and is America’s number-one selling stainless steel sink company, including faucets, water coolers, drinking fountains, bottle fillers and cabinets. Learn more about the ELKAYCares program.