New England Special Olympics Chapters Team with Sun Life Financial

Sept. 21, 2009 - PRLog -- Special Olympics Chapters in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire are proud to announce the U.S. division of Sun Life Financial (NYSE-SLF, TSX:SLF) has expanded its relationship with Special Olympics in these three states by sponsoring the dental care initiative “Special Smiles.”  As a Presenting Partner of the program, Sun Life supports the cause with a financial contribution for each chapter, employee volunteerism, and in-kind materials and services.

“Sun Life Financial’s commitment to Special Olympics has a very significant impact on the quality and availability of dental care for Special Olympics athletes in these states,” said Robert Johnson, President and CEO of Special Olympics Massachusetts. “Many in this population suffer from a lack of qualified dental professionals to meet their needs and it is a goal of this program to provide increased access to quality dental health to all that come to Special Olympics.”

The Special Smiles program aims to increase access to dental care for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, including Special Olympics athletes. Free dental screenings at Special Olympics events provide athletes with education and counseling on how their diet affects both their oral and overall health. The program has provided 850 athletes in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire with dental screenings in the past year alone.

"Sun Life is extremely proud to support the Special Smiles program. We share a common mission to support healthy lifestyles and as we know, oral health has an impact on overall health," said Michael E. Shunney, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Sun Life Financial Employee Benefits Group. “Special Smiles has done a remarkable job bringing awareness on the issues surrounding the quality and availability of oral health coverage for disabled individuals. As a dental carrier, we’re excited to be a part of such a focused plan of action for getting these athletes what they need.”

The Special Smiles program is one facet of the Health Athletes Initiative, which partners the Special Olympics with medical professionals and businesses willing to offer health screenings at Special Olympics events in seven areas: Fit Feet (podiatry), FUNFitness (physical therapy), Health Promotion (better health and well-being), Healthy Hearing (audiology), MedFest (sports physical exam), Opening Eyes (vision) and Special Smiles (dentistry).

About Special Olympics:
Special Olympics Connecticut, Special Olympics Massachusetts, and Special Olympics New Hampshire all provide year-round athletic training, competition, and health-improvement programs for individuals with and without intellectual disabilities.  Each organization is a chapter of Special Olympics Incorporated.  In 2008, the three state-wide organizations served over 25,000 athletes in 27 sports and 2,907 athletes in 11 health screenings.http://www.specialolympicsma.org

About Sun Life Financial
Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth accumulation products and services to individuals and corporate clients. Chartered in 1865, Sun Life Financial and its partners today have operations in key markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China and Bermuda. As of March 31, 2009, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of US $297.5 billion.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under ticker symbol SLF. Visit Sun Life Financial's website at www.sunlife-usa.com.


Contact:
David Greenwood; Special Olympics Mass.
978-568-1374

David Jacobson, Sun Life
781-446-1955