Cardinal Health raises $1 million for Wounded Warrior Project since 2010
SEATTLE — Cardinal Health has invited customers to donate to Wounded Warrior Project for a few years now, but this year, its partnership with the organization reached a new milestone.
At the Cardinal Health 2013 Retail Business Conference, which took place Aug. 7 to Aug. 10 at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle, the company announced that since 2010 — with the help of employees, customers and suppliers — it had raised more than $1 million for WWP, including more than $160,000 this year alone.
Founded in Roanoke, Va., in 2003, Wounded Warrior Project sponsors 18 programs for wounded veterans, including programs focused on health and wellness, education and economic empowerment.
"Thank you, again, to everyone who made a donation or bid on an auction item," Cardinal Health SVP of independent sales Steve Lawrence told attendees during a special Aug. 9 presentation at Cardinal Health RBC. "You are making a difference in the lives of our servicemen and women." The Cardinal Health Foundation matches customer, vendor and employee donations to WWP, so the $1 million total includes contributions from the Cardinal Health Foundation as well as these other sources.
During the presentation, Sergeant First Class Norbie Lara, a major spokesman for WWP, shared his experience in military service and the importance of WWP to veterans like himself. Lara joined the Army in 1995 and served multiple deployments in Kuwait, Bosnia and finally Iraq, where while on combat patrol in 2004, a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle and shrapnel from the explosion severed his arm and ripped through his body, lacerating his liver and causing severe lung damage.
A highly decorated soldier, with awards that include a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star, since retiring in 2006, Lara continues to help disabled veterans like himself transition to their new lives after injury by introducing them to the Wounded Warrior Project.
During the WWP presentation, Cardinal Health also celebrated the innovative programs its customers were developing and hosting to help drive WWP donations. For instance, one group from Dale's Southlake Pharmacy, in Decatur, Ill., sponsored its second annual Warrior Walk, raising more than $15,000 for WWP, which it presented to Lara at Cardinal Health RBC this year.
"The Wounded Warrior Project brings new hope and quality of life to injured veterans returning home from active duty," Lawrence said. "Cardinal Health is honored to partner with the Wounded Warrior Project again this year to help fund and support its efforts."
To keep up with all the news from Cardinal Health RBC 2013, visit DrugStoreNews.com/Cardinal-Health-Retail-Business-Conference-2013.
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