CVS/pharmacy Charitable Trust Awards $54,500 Dollars to Five Non-Profi

WOONSOCKET, R.I., March 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The CVS/pharmacy Charitable Trust, the private foundation managed by CVS Corporation , announced today that it has awarded $54,500 in grants to five non-profit organizations in New York.

"We are pleased to support these very worthy charities that are working hard in our communities to improve people's lives," said Eileen Howard Dunn, Vice President of the CVS/pharmacy Charitable Trust. "A CVS/pharmacy Charitable Trust grant is an effective way for us to give back to the communities where we do business," stated Howard Dunn.

Grants were awarded to organizations dedicated to healthcare, education and community engagement. "The foundation focuses on those projects that clearly demonstrate they are meeting a need within the community, and where collaborative efforts and measurement tools are in place to track success. We are confident that each of the non-profits we chose to work with in the coming year will create positive change and influence in the communities we serve together," said Howard Dunn.

In many cases, CVS/pharmacy associates become involved with grantees by providing volunteer assistance, participating in other fund-raisers and assisting in outreach and education services.

New York based organizations that received a grant from the CVS/pharmacy Charitable Trust are:

Montefiore Medical Center (The Children's Hospital at Montefiore)

Description of grant: The Trust is helping fund the Lead Poisoning Prevention Program and Safe House, which is the oldest and most comprehensive program of its kind in the United States. This program has become a national model and was named a New York State Regional Resource Center for Lead Poisoning Prevention. The program provides access to: 1) screening, diagnosis, and treatment; 2) temporary, lead-safe, residential facilities; 3) community outreach; 4) environmental intervention; 5) support services; 6) lead poisoning research.

Link to website: http://montekids.org/ Contact name at organization: Leanna Mercedes (718) 920-7308 P2 Collaborative of WNY, Inc.

Description of grant: The CVS/pharmacy Charitable Trust is funding the "Target your Heart for Life" program. This program has been designed for all Buffalo public school children Pre-K through 8th grade reaching 34,000 children. The Program will be incentive-based and focus on changing nutritional behavior in children to lessen health trends due to poor nutrition and overweight/obesity. This initiative is first of its kind and hopes to set the stage for other regions to follow suit.

Contact name at organization: Gretchen Fierle (716) 859-7140 Boys & Girls Republic

Description of grant: Grant will implement a Nutrition Education/Wellness Program for particularly needy and economically deprived youth on Manhattan's Lower East Side as part of an after-school program. It will focus on nutrition and obesity prevention through physical fitness activities, cooking/science class and parent workshop.

Link to website: http://www.henrystreet.org/site/PageServer Contact name at organization: Michael Burgos (212) 686-8888 Down Syndrome Resource Center, Inc.

Description of grant: The Down Syndrome Resource Center has received a grant from the CVS/pharmacy Charitable Trust to develop a Community Liaison Program. The program will identify the needs and interests of children with Down Syndrome and will work with local organizations to facilitate inclusion in community programs.

Link to website: http://www.downsyndromeresourcecenter.org/ Contact name at organization: Diane Lang (518) 641-6700 Family Enrichment Network, Inc.

Description of grant: Trust will help Fund the "Ready, Set, Leap!" curriculum for use in one of Family Enrichment Network's Head Start Classrooms. It will include family-appropriate books available on tape and CD for free rental use by the parents of Head Start children. "Ready, Set, Leap!" supports stringent national Head Start standards. The program will help low-income preschoolers with language, literacy and math skills so they will be ready for Kindergarten.

Link to website: http://www.familyenrichment.cc/ Contact name at organization: Carol Houssock (607) 723-8313

The CVS/pharmacy Charitable Trust will be accepting applications for 2005 grants from May 1 to June 15, 2005.

For additional information, go to http://www.cvs.com/corpInfo/community/charitable_mission.html.

The CVS Charitable Trust, Inc. is a private foundation managed by CVS Corporation, which operates more than 5,000 CVS/pharmacy stores in 36 states. The Trust's mission is to provide funding for health care, education and community involvement initiatives in communities where CVS stores are located. General information about CVS is available through the Investor Relations portion of the Company's website at http://investor.cvs.com/, or through the website's press room at http://www.cvs.com/pressroom.

CONTACT: Mike DeAngelis CVS Corporation 401-770-2645