Ryan House Named Winner of Humana Communities Benefit $100,000 Grant in Phoenix

Grant winner will give families of terminally-ill children a chance to tell the “Story of Me” in a new multi-media room

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ryan House has been awarded a $100,000 grant as the winner of this year’s Humana Communities Benefit program in Greater Phoenix. The grant was funded by the Humana Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM).

“We anticipate serving more than 200 children with life-threatening conditions this year. With the help of the Humana Communities Benefit grant, we will make a positive impact on the well-being of these families.”

Founded in 2007, Ryan House is a nonprofit organization that provides respite and palliative care to children with life-threatening conditions and, as needed, end-of-life care. Ryan House is the only facility of its kind in the Southwest and one of two in the entire country.

With the $100,000 grant, Ryan House will transform an existing, yet underutilized, computer room into a state-of-the-art multimedia space with video journaling equipment, voice recording technologies, and therapeutic media opportunities. The “Story of Me Room” will give children with life-threatening conditions and their families different modalities for storytelling to promote healthy communication across the family generations. In addition to the room, there will be a mobile version so children who do not feel well enough to utilize the room can also benefit from these activities.

According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, “the idea of capturing the ‘story’ of the dying infant or child was felt to be important by families as it helped them to make sure that parents and children didn’t forget.” Families will have the opportunity to create tangible recordings and memories that they can hold onto when their child is no longer with them.

“The digital age has transformed the way we tell stories. For families who know they will lose their loved one, the Story of Me Room will allow them to enjoy the time they have with their child and to hold onto their memory,” said Matthew Winter, Board Chair of Ryan House. “We anticipate serving more than 200 children with life-threatening conditions this year. With the help of the Humana Communities Benefit grant, we will make a positive impact on the well-being of these families.”

In its seventh year in the Greater Phoenix area, the Humana Communities Benefit program, funded by the Humana Foundation, gives 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in Maricopa County the opportunity to receive a one-time gift of $100,000 to create new programs or enhance ongoing activities that have a positive transformational impact on the organization and the community. The grant enables the nonprofit to reach new milestones in its effort to improve health and well-being experiences or build healthy communities. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Humana Communities Benefit program which is now active in eight cities across the country.

“Each of the three finalists had such impactful projects benefiting the communities they serve that it was hard to pick one winner,” said Mike Franks, West Region President for Humana’s Senior Products division. “Our hope is that this grant will not only create a transformational change for Ryan House but also for the families it serves by keeping the memory of their children alive.”

“Humana and the Humana Foundation are excited about the positive impact the Story of Me Room will have on the well-being of Ryan House families and children,” said Curt Howell, Humana’s Arizona Commercial Market President. “This room will truly be multi-media and multi-functional, giving families the opportunity to journal through the mode that works best for their child, whether by video, voice or art.”

Humana associates selected three finalists from 55 applications. Humana then worked with a panel of local judges comprised of community leaders, public officials and business representatives to select Ryan House as the recipient of the annual grant, which was awarded at a celebratory dinner on Oct. 25 at the Arizona Biltmore, 2400 E. Missouri Avenue, Phoenix. The other two finalists, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Phoenix and Foundation for Blind Children, each received donations of $7,500.

For more information on the Humana Communities Benefit program in Greater Phoenix, visit www.humana.com/resources/about/corporate/hcb/arizona.aspx.

About The Humana Foundation

The Humana Foundation was established in 1981 as the philanthropic arm of Humana Inc., one of the nation’s leading health care companies. Located in Louisville, Ky., the site of Humana’s corporate headquarters, the Foundation’s mission is to promote healthy lives and healthy communities. The Foundation’s key funding priorities are childhood health, intergenerational health, and active lifestyles. For more information, visit www.humanafoundation.org.

Humana and the Humana Foundation are dedicated to Corporate Social Responsibility. Our goal is to ensure that every business decision we make reflects our commitment to improving the health and well-being of our members, our associates, the communities we serve, and our planet.

About Humana

Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is a leading health care company that offers a wide range of insurance products and health and wellness services that incorporate an integrated approach to lifelong well-being. By leveraging the strengths of its core businesses, Humana believes it can better explore opportunities for existing and emerging adjacencies in health care that can further enhance wellness opportunities for the millions of people across the nation with whom the company has relationships.

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