MEND – Meet Each Need with Dignity, a poverty-relief organization in Pacoima, received a $50,000 Health Access grant this month from Medtronic Philanthropy, a part of Medtronic Inc. Marianne Haver Hill, chief executive of MEND, said the grant will allow diabetic patients to receive dental and vision care, exercise classes, specialized food boxes and medicine. Although the center offsets a lot of costs because the doctors and health educators volunteer their time, medication remains a hard cost. Haver Hill said most of the grant will pay for medicine. “Our quality assurance committee determined it wanted to change the primary medicine because of the side effects of the old medicine,” she said. “The new medicine is much more expensive. This grant comes at a good time; it makes a difference to our patients.” Medtronic of Minneapolis, which has a large insulin pump facility in Northridge, currently gives out 34 grants to local community organizations. Dr. Francine Kaufman, chief medical officer for Medtronic Diabetes, said the company looks to partner with local organizations that address health care needs. “Through Medtronic Health Access Grants we’re thrilled to be able to partner with community-based organizations like MEND that have found creative ways to provide much-needed services to underserved communities right here in Los Angeles,” she said in a statement. MEND was founded as a volunteer organization in 1971 and received around 6,000 patient visits last year for diabetes treatment. “All our programs and clinic empowers our patients’ pathway to self-reliance, helps them to manage their disease effectively and live a healthy life to avoid complications and ramifications of having diabetes,” Haver Hill said. Amgen Grants Amgen Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Thousand Oaks biotech giant Amgen Inc., announced last month it contributed $2.5 million to educational grants for students in the United States and the United Kingdom. The grants will finance the Amgen Biotech Experience, a lab presentation for high school students. The grants will be awarded to universities, community colleges and non-profit organizations that help produce the program. The presentation is shown to middle school and high school students in their biology classes, and teachers receive professional development training at Pierce College in Woodland Hills. Amy Welch, a biology teacher at Brea Olinda High School in Brea said the program has been beneficial to her students. “It is inspiring to see how eager the students are to learn these lab techniques. Several students have even told me they want to pursue a major in biology after they finish the course,” she said in a statement. Scott Heimlich, senior program manager for the Amgen Foundation, said the grants can help students see the connection from the classroom to the lab. “The hands-on curriculum ties the laboratory experiences to the development of medicines, using technologies employed by the biotechnology industry in the discovery of human therapeutics,” he said. Heimlich said several schools in the San Fernando Valley participate in the program, including Van Nuys High School. The Amgen Biotech Experience began in 1990 and an estimated 300,000 students have gone through the program. Turkey Trot The Burbank Community YMCA’s annual Turkey Trot fundraiser on Thanksgiving raised a record for the organization with $60,000 for its membership assistance program. Some of the major local sponsors included Cusumano Real Estate Group, Burbank City Federal Credit Union and the Burbank Bob Hope Airport. Yvette Herrera, director of philanthropy and community engagement for Burbank YMCA, said the Nov. 28 event provides multiple benefits for the community. “The Turkey Trot has become an excellent Thanksgiving holiday tradition in Burbank. It’s a great way to do a healthy tradition while supporting community members in need,” she said. Quick Gifts NAI Capital Inc. in Encino raised $7,484 in disaster relief for the family in the Philippines of Dennis Pontillano, marketing manager for the firm. … The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley is partnering with Macy’s Inc. in the Thanks for Sharing program, which allows shoppers at Macy’s to donate money through their store credit card. … Cheesecake Factory Inc. provided Thanksgiving meals at 13 Salvation Army locations around the country to 6,000 low-income individuals on Thanksgiving Day. This is the 12th year the Calabasas company has partnered with the non-profit to hand out meals to needy families. Staff Reporter Jacquelinne Mejia can be reached at (818) 316-3121 or [email protected].
Insulin Device Maker Pumps Money Into Charity
