Sun Life and Boston Celtics #SunLifeDunk4Diabetes reaches $1 million goal for YMCA of Greater Boston

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Dec 05, 2023, 10:49 ET

BOSTON and WELLESLEY, Mass., Dec. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sun Life U.S. and the Boston Celtics have wrapped their tenth year of #SunLifeDunk4Diabetes, raising more than $1 million for the YMCA of Greater Boston to date. The Celtics achieved a record-breaking 88 dunks during the annual November campaign, which takes place during National Diabetes Awareness Month. #SunLifeDunk4Diabetes supports the Y's Healthy Habits program, which helps people learn how to live healthier lives and avoid risks for type 2 diabetes. Each Celtics dunk in November raises $1,000, which is matched by the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation up to $25,000. Celtics fans also support the cause by voting for their favorite dunk each week on the Celtics' Instagram Reels, with each vote raising additional donations. This year's #SunLifeDunk4Diabetes raised a record $175,000 for the YMCA of Greater Boston, bringing the total to more than $1 million over 10 years.

Sun Life U.S. and Boston Celtics donate to YMCA of Greater Boston (L:R David Shapiro, CEO, YMCA of GB; Ed Milano, VP, Sun Life U.S.; Joanne Nolin, Marketing, YMCA of GB; Lauren Reyes, COO, YMCA of GB; Paul Pierce, Celtics legend; Billy Alves, Healthy Living, YMCA of GB; Dan Fishbein, M.D., president, Sun Life U.S.; Ted Dalton, Chief Partnership Officer, Boston Celtics; Rachel Spates, Communications, Sun Life U.S.; Neil Haynes, CFO, Sun Life U.S. and board member, YMCA of GB.

"Partnering with the Celtics to support the YMCA of Greater Boston is always rewarding and inspiring, as we get to see the wonderful impacts the Y has on the Greater Boston community," said Neil Haynes, senior vice president and CFO, Sun Life U.S., and board member of the YMCA of Greater Boston. "Sun Life is committed to causes that help people manage or avoid diabetes, and we are fortunate to have such terrific partners in that effort."

Kristaps Porzingis led the team this November with 25 dunks, with Jaylen Brown not far behind with 20 dunks. For the November 11 game against the Toronto Raptors, Sun Life doubled the donation amount to $2,000 per dunk and counted the Raptors' dunks as well, since Sun Life sponsors the team in Canada. The Celtics out-dunked the Raptors 9 to 3 and won the game 117 – 94.

"We are fortunate to have great friends and partners at Sun Life and the YMCA, who continue to share in our efforts to reduce the number of individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes," said Ted Dalton, Boston Celtics Chief Partnership Officer. "In its tenth year, #SunLifeDunk4Diabetes has raised more than $1 million, a testament to the hard work of these organizations and players alike."

"We are so grateful to Sun Life and the Boston Celtics for the enduring partnership and deep investment over the past 10 years in our Healthy Habits and Diabetes Prevention programs. Their support has allowed us to demonstrate what it takes to help people learn how to prevent and manage diabetes, find community, and provide the tools to improve their overall health and wellness," said David Shapiro, Y of Greater Boston CEO. "The #SunLifeDunk4Diabetes campaign and the Fit to Win program for youth, demonstrates our shared vision to strengthen and build a healthy Boston community where thriving is accessible to all."

Fit to Win is a four-week winter program run by Sun Life and the Celtics for YMCA kids in grades 3 – 6. The program teaches them to embrace fitness, nutrition, healthy lifestyle habits, and mindfulness. Fit to Win will begin its tenth year in January 2024, and has reached over 2,000 kids across New England since the program's inception.

For more information about #SunLifeDunk4Diabetes, visit https://www.nba.com/celtics/promotions/sun-life/sun-life-dunk-4-diabetes.

For information about Sun Life's support of diabetes causes and other philanthropic programs, visit https://www.sunlife.com/us/en/about/our-community-involvement/.

About Sun Life
Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing asset management, wealth, insurance and health solutions to individual and institutional Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of September 30, 2023, Sun Life had total assets under management of C$1.34 trillion. For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

Sun Life U.S. is one of the largest providers of employee and government benefits, helping more than 50 million Americans access the healthcare and coverage they need. Through employers, industry partners and government programs, Sun Life U.S. offers a portfolio of benefits and services, including dental, vision, disability, absence management, life, supplemental health, medical stop-loss insurance, and healthcare navigation. Sun Life employs nearly 8,300 people in the U.S., including associates in our partner dental practices and affiliated companies in asset management. Group insurance policies are issued by Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (Wellesley Hills, Mass.), except in New York, where policies are issued by Sun Life and Health Insurance Company (U.S.) (Lansing, Mich.). For more information visit our website and newsroom.

About the Boston Celtics
A charter member of the Basketball Association of America (which evolved into the National Basketball Association) since 1946, the Boston Celtics have won a record 17 NBA championships, including eight (8) in a row from 1959-1966, winning their first title in 1957 and their most recent in 2008. The Celtics have long stood for equality, and respect, including hiring the first African- American coach and starting the first all-Black starting five. In addition, 50 former Celtics players, management or staff have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In December 2002 the team returned to local ownership for the first time since 1963. For more information on the Celtics, log on to www.celtics.com.

Media Contacts
Devon Fernald
Sun Life U.S.
[email protected]
781-800-3609

Anjie Coplin
Sun Life U.S.
[email protected]
214-549-1553

Caroline Weber
Boston Celtics
[email protected]
314-323-2710

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SOURCE Sun Life U.S.