11.21.2008 - 08:00am ET

(CSRwire) ATLANTA,GA. – November 21, 2008 – The American Cancer Society's Corporate Impact Awards were presented today to a record 17 companies during the Society's Annual Meeting in New York City. The awards recognize businesses' financial and in-kind contributions of at least $1 million during the previous calendar year. These donations were raised through a variety of channels and represent these companies' commitment to the Society's global fight to eliminate cancer as a major health problem.

The companies honored for their substantial gifts to the Society were: AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical, LLP; AT&T, Inc.; BAE Systems; Curves International; dressbarn inc; HSBC – North America; International Business Machines (IBM); The Longaberger Company; Merrill Lynch; Microsoft Corporation; The Pampered Chef(R), LTD; PartyLite Gifts, Inc.; Pfizer, Inc.; Simmons Bedding Company; Walgreen Company; Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.; and Wells Fargo and Company.

"These companies and their many employees have proven that their hearts are compassionate and benevolent. The Society is appreciative of these companies that so generously give of their resources and empower their employees to become personally involved with our mission of saving lives," said John R. Seffrin, Ph.D., chief executive officer, American Cancer Society. "The record number of businesses receiving the Society’s Corporate Impact Awards this year reflects the greatness of the human spirit."

Initiated in 2006, the Corporate Impact Awards commend companies' significant financial engagement with the Society, generated through employee workplace giving, corporate philanthropy, cause branding, corporate promotions, event sponsorship and team fundraising.

The awards are presented annually by the Society's Employer Initiative, which creates meaningful, long-term relationships with employers of all sizes by engaging them in delivery of the Society's life-saving mission and support for its numerous programs and services. The Employer Initiative helps companies implement scientifically-sound, comprehensive wellness programs and provides information and high-quality support for cancer screening and care.

"The Society is extremely grateful to these companies for their commitment to the goal of eliminating cancer as a major health problem. In engaging with us in the fight against the disease, these charitable companies and their like-minded employees are enabling the progress that continues to be made on a number of fronts," said Van Velsor Wolf, 2008-09 chair, American Cancer Society National Board of Directors.

Pharmaceutical manufacturer AstraZeneca has pledged $10 million over five years to accelerate development of at least 50 new Society Patient Resource Navigator Program sites and has supported the Society's Hope Lodge(R) facilities in Boston and Philadelphia. AstraZeneca also supports the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) through sponsorship of the "Fight Back Express" bus national tour and other events.

AT&T, a Relay For Life National Corporate Team Program member for more than 10 years, fields hundreds of teams in 31 states plus Canada, Brazil, Japan, and the United Kingdom. AT&T also supports Making Strides Against Breast Cancer(R), Golf and Gala events, and Hope Lodge, contributing thousands of volunteer hours and more than $1 million each year in company gifts and employee payroll deductions.

BAE Systems' support of the Society includes the Relay for Life(R), Daffodil Days(R), Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, and volunteering. In 2007, the company raised more than $1 million through team efforts in events, Golf and Galas, and employee giving. BAE Systems commitment to the cancer fight extends to the health of its employees, through wellness programs, education, prevention and early detection, encouragement of healthy lifestyle choices, and Quitline(R).

Curves International has extensive employee participation in the National Team Programs for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and Relay For Life(R). Through promotional events and customer donations, the company has given more than $1 million to the Society.

dressbarn inc, which includes the dressbarn and maurices brands, has during the last six years contributed more than $4.5 million to the Society through involvement with more than 200 Relay For Life teams nationwide and substantial in-store fundraisers. Last year, dressbarn inc contributions to the Society totaled in excess of $1 million.

HSBC – North America has included the Society in its United for Hope workplace campaign since 1995, and last year, employees pledged more than $1 million to the Society. Through the campaign, employees receive information year-round on the Society's efforts to prevent cancer and eliminate it as a life-threatening disease.

IBM employees nationwide have given generously to the Society for more than a decade, including last year's pledge of $2.6 million through employee payroll deductions.

Since 1995, the Longaberger Company has produced a special line of custom Horizon of Hope products that benefit the Society's breast cancer education and research programs. More than three million Horizon of Hope products have been sold, with contributions totaling nearly $13 million.

Merrill Lynch's Employee Giving Campaign last year raised $4.3 million for the Society. The company also collaborates on educational and supportive needs of underserved populations. Merrill Lynch supports the Relay For Life National Team Program, promotes the Society's cancer screening guidelines to its employees, and encourages them to participate in the Quitline(R) smoking cessation program.

Microsoft Corporationand its employees have a longstanding relationship with the Society, including participation in Relay For Life, Daffodil Days(R), and Gala and Golf events. Microsoft's Employee Giving Campaign raised more than $460,000 in Society gifts last year, which bolstered its company contribution to more than $1 million.

For the past eight years, The Pampered Chef, through its nationwide consultants, has shared breast cancer information and awareness reminders with customers by selling pink products at "Help Whip Cancer" Cooking shows – raising more than $6 million for the Society. In 2007, TPC consultants raised an additional $160,000-plus for the Society's lifesaving mission, through involvement with Relay For Life, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, Golf and Galas, and Daffodil Days.

PartyLite has for the past 10 years raised more than $10 million for the Society. A substantial portion of employee contributions have come from grassroots endeavors. For the Society's 2006 Celebration on the Hill event in Washington, D.C., PartyLite donated 25,000 tealight candles plus funds for commemorative luminaria placed near the U.S. Capitol Building.

Last year, the Pfizer Foundation's regional oncology offices in eight countries awarded the Society more than $5.4 million in grants. In Latin America, $2.7 million funded early detection grants programs and a cancer survivor movement to increase patients' voices in policy and cancer control. A $2.6 million grant is helping fund tobacco control projects in Southeast Asia and North Africa, and, in Europe, a $73,500 grant is aiding work in tobacco control.

Since 2004, the Simmons Bedding Company has donated nearly 1,800 mattresses plus bedding supplies for Society Hope Lodges. In the past five years, these beds have provided patients and their caregivers nearly 635,000 sleep nights and have saved the Society more than $1.2 million in costs. Simmons has also provided a $50,000 grant to study the relationship between sleep and healing from a cancer diagnosis.

For the past nine years, Walgreens' Hope Blooms With You campaign has enabled customers to donate one dollar to the Society by purchasing paper blooms. Through this time-honored program, Walgreens has raised more than $11 million ($1.6 million last year) for the Society’s breast cancer initiatives. Other Walgreens connections to the Society include employee payroll deductions, the Relay For Life National Corporate Team Program, and Galas.

Last year, Wal-Mart and Sam's Club associates raised more than $7 million through the company's commitment to the Society's National Corporate Team Programs for Relay For Life and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. The company's hourly, in-store Wal-Mart TV broadcasts of Society PSAs reach 128 million shoppers each month. Wal-Mart and Sam's Club associates also support the Society with their payroll gifts.

Wells Fargo and Company has for many years participated in numerous Society activities, including Relay For Life, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, Golf and Gala events, and Daffodil Days. Through ATM screen and receipt messaging, Wells Fargo has communicated lifesaving reminders about early detection and screening. In the last three years, Wells Fargo and its employees have donated more than $3 million.

The American Cancer Society is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives, diminishing suffering and preventing cancer through research, education, advocacy and service.

Founded in 1913 and with national headquarters in Atlanta, the Society has 13 regional Divisions and local offices in 3,400 communities, involving millions of volunteers across the United States. For more information anytime, call toll free 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.

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