www.dbcusa.org

Providing Services to Families with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Elizabeth Hirst, 850.562.5300
March 31, 2010

Volunteer USA Foundation Celebrates Deaf History Month with Support from CVS Caremark Charitable Trust

~ Donation is part of CVS Caremark Charitable Trust’s $6.3 million in grants supporting causes including children with disabilities and those who are uninsured~

Volunteer USA Foundation announced today that it has received a $50,000 grant from the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, the private foundation created by CVS Caremark Corporation to support the Foundation’s Deaf Family Literacy Academy. The award comes as the nation recognizes Deaf History Month from March 13-April 15.

The Deaf Family Literacy Academy currently serves 50 families in Pinellas and Broward counties. The additional funds will help the Academy begin serving a limited number of families from the Miami-Dade area currently on the program’s waiting list. The Academy employs mentors who visit the homes of deaf children to teach their parents how to sign. These mentors, who are usually deaf or hard-of-hearing themselves, instruct parents and children on sign language and literacy skills at least once a week.

“Deaf and hard of hearing students have the same potential as their hearing peers to achieve the academic success and yet, according to a 2009 Florida Department of Education FCAT report, 67% of deaf or hard of hearing 3rd- graders scored at the lowest two levels on standardized achievement tests,” said Liza McFadden, president of Volunteer USA. “Our goal is to provide hearing parents an opportunity to communicate with their very young children, as both a bonding and learning experience.”

The funding will help support ongoing mentor services to families as well as to develop a comprehensive operations manual for the successful Deaf Family Literacy program. The Academy strives to prepare deaf and hard of hearing children between two- three years old so they are ready to enter preschool and Kindergarten along with their hearing peers.

“In today’s challenging economy, it’s more important than ever to support organizations that can have a positive impact on children with disabilities,” said Eileen Howard Dunn, Vice President, CVS Caremark Charitable Trust. “We’re proud to support Volunteer USA and the wonderful services provided by their program, and we wish them continued success in 2010.”

The accomplishments of the Deaf Family Literacy Academy to date include:

• All parents in the program improved communication with their children over the course of the academic year.
• 90% of parents improved their American Sign Language skills.
• 40% of families have obtained deafness-related resources for their children such as closed captioning on the television, text telephones and deafness-related books and resources from the library.
• 94% of the families read to their child several times a week; an increase of 24 percent from the beginning of the program.
• 88% of parents/caretakers increased their knowledge of literacy strategies.
• 80% of children showed increased interest in sharing books with family members.

Deaf History Month is celebrated to expand awareness of the contributions of historical deaf leaders, such as Larent Clerc and Thomas Gallaudet, the founders of the first School for the Deaf in North America.

For more information about Volunteer USA Foundation’s Family Literacy Initiative and how to become involved with literacy initiatives within the community, please visit www.volunteerusafoundation.org.

The CVS Caremark Charitable Trust’s grant to Volunteer USA and the Deaf Family Literacy Academy is part of $6.3 million in grants given to nonprofit organizations across the country in 2009. A number of these grants align with CVS Caremark All Kids Can, the company's signature philanthropic program focused on supporting children with disabilities by raising awareness about inclusion, creating greater opportunities for physical activity and play, and providing access to medical rehabilitation and related services. Other CVS Caremark Charitable Trust grants provide support for medical services for the uninsured, grants to pharmacy schools, scholarships for the children of CVS Caremark colleagues and funding for community organizations for which CVS Caremark colleagues act as volunteers.

About the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust:
The CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, Inc. is a private foundation created by CVS Caremark Corporation (NYSE: CVS), the largest pharmacy health care provider in the United States and the market leader in mail order pharmacy, retail pharmacy, specialty pharmacy, and retail clinics. The mission of the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust is to provide funding for programs serving children with disabilities as well as nonprofits that provide health care services to the uninsured and medically at-risk populations. Learn more about the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust annual call for applications at www.cvs.com/community. General information about CVS Caremark is available through the company's Web site at http://info.cvscaremark.com.

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