Ryan's Case for Smiles Earns National Recognition from Mutual of America

NEW YORK, April 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ryan's Case for Smiles will be recognized by Mutual of America for its Ryan's Case for Smiles program during a special hometown luncheon and award presentation at The Paramour at the Wayne Hotel in Wayne on Tuesday, April 26 at 12:00 p.m.

The program was named a Merit Finalist Award recipient in Mutual of America's 2015 Community Partnership Award competition, which received entries from organizations nationwide. As one of 10 finalists in the competition, Ryan's Case for Smiles received a monetary award from Mutual of America.

Ryan's Case for Smiles was founded in 2007 by Cindy Kerr, who began making colorful pillowcases to brighten her son Ryan's hospital room as he battled cancer. The program, which is dedicated solely to helping sick children cope with the stress of their illnesses or injuries, began with a simple goal: to create and distribute whimsical pillowcases that give children an emotional boost and remind them that they are not defined by their illness.

The program has expanded to include an innovative partnership with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder experts at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, providing access to valuable web-based information and tools designed to help families understand and navigate traumatic illness. Ryan's Case for Smiles serves nearly 50,000 children and families each year and has delivered more than one million pillowcases to more than 330 children's hospitals.

"Working together to create a unique pillowcase is an empowering experience, especially for children who often feel powerless in a hospital environment," said Ms. Kerr. "Through these vital partnerships, every stitch, every yard of fabric and every pillowcase brings us closer to our goal of helping kids feel better to heal better."

About the Mutual of America Community Partnership Award

The Mutual of America Community Partnership Award annually honors the outstanding contributions that 10 nonprofit organizations, in partnership with public, private and other social sector organizations, make to society. Last year, Mutual of America celebrated the 20^th anniversary of the Community Partnership Award. Since 1996, 200 partnerships from cities and towns across America have been recognized. To learn more, visit mutualofamerica.com/cpa. To watch videos of all 20 national award-winning programs, visit the official YouTube channel for the Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award.

About Mutual of America

Mutual of America specializes in providing retirement products and services to organizations and their employees, as well as to individuals. Since 1945, Mutual of America has remained committed to offering plan sponsors, plan participants and individuals carefully selected, quality products and services at a competitive price and the personal attention they need to help build and preserve assets for a financially secure future. For more information, visit mutualofamerica.com.

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SOURCE Mutual of America

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