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Kinney Drugs beat out financial giant Morgan Stanley in raising funds for the American Heart Association’s Wear Red Day.
From left: Greg Mills of the Greater Oswego-Fulton Chamber of Commerce, Bridget-ann Hart of Kinney Drugs-KPH Healthcare, Franklin Fry of the American Heart Association Greater Syracuse, Oswego Mayor William Barlow Jr. and Brittany Jerrod, representing New York Assemblyman Will Barclay.
In fact, the regional drug chain — with about 100 stores in New York and Vermont — was the top fundraiser nationwide in the association’s 2016 Heart Health campaign, generating $30,000. Morgan Stanley was second with a $29,969 donation, Kinney reported.
In an announcement on its donation, Kinney’s pride in its achievement shined through. “A Gouverneur [N.Y.]-based, employee-owned company has bested a Wall Street company to be the No. 1 fundraiser nationally for the American Heart Association’s Wear Red Day,” the drug chain said in a statement.
Kinney officials presented the Wear Red Day donation to American Heart Association representatives in an event, attended by local leaders, at its store at 174 West Bridge St. in Oswego, N.Y., which raised the most money of all Kinney stores in New York.
On Wear Red Day, businesses across the country ask employees to wear red and donate $5 to the American Heart Association. The annual event, held on the first Friday in February, aims to raise awareness about heart disease in women, the leading cause of death for women.
Kinney expanded the one-day event into a monthlong campaign, inviting customers and vendor partners to donate. Employees from all divisions of Kinney parent company KPH Healthcare Services — including ProAct, Health Direct and Noble Health Services — also contributed to the fundraising efforts, the drug chain said.
“This partnership was created in an effort to not only raise awareness for heart disease but to take action and to fight back,” commented Kinney Drugs president Jim Spencer. “The continued support and generosity of our customers, employees and business partners is unparalleled. They are the reason Kinney Drugs has been recognized as the top fundraising company in the country.”
The funds will support monies raised during the year for the Syracuse Go Red For Women campaign. Bridget-ann Hart, president and CEO of KPH Healthcare Services, is serving for the third year on the campaign’s executive leadership team. The effort will culminate in the 2016 Go Red for Women Luncheon on Oct. 27 in Syracuse, N.Y.
