FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
John Hancock Financial And Manulife Employees Commit To Run
2011 Boston Marathon For Non-Profits
Join More Than 1,000 Company-Sponsored Non-Profit Runners
In Effort To Surpass $4.3 Million Raised In 2010
BOSTON, MA, March 2, 2011-More than 100 John Hancock and Manulife employees
have committed to run this year's Boston Marathon and raise money for
non-profits through its MarathonMatters: Employee Training Program. They
join the more than 1,000 Company-sponsored non-profit runners as they seek
to surpass the $4.3 million raised in 2010 through the John Hancock Boston
Marathon Non-Profit Program.
John Hancock employees will run to raise funds for the Ron Burton Training
Village, South Boston Neighborhood House, Artists for Humanity and the
Center for Teen Empowerment. Canadian Manulife employees will run for
Habitat for Humanity Canada. Both groups have consistently increased monies
raised since the inception of the employee fundraising program five years
ago.
"John Hancock promotes health and wellness for its employees through a
variety of initiatives throughout the year in connection with its corporate
HealthMatters program," said Rob Friedman, head of Sponsorship and Event
Marketing at John Hancock. "The Employee Training Program is one such
initiative under the banner of our Boston Marathon sponsorship and provides
a unique opportunity to help employees prepare for the race and give back
to their communities by raising funds for these vital and vibrant
non-profit organizations."
Training seminars with nutritionists, physical therapists, world-class
marathoners, team coach Dr. Cathy Utzschneider and BAA race director Dave
McGillivray, help employees maintain a successful training schedule. The
Company also provides supported weekend training runs on the historic
Boston Marathon course.
To help employees meet their fundraising goals, John Hancock provides
various tools and incentives, networking seminars, and meetings with
non-profit leaders and non-profit groups.
"John Hancock's employee training program not only has helped me to run in
the last five Boston Marathons, but also has helped me support the
community by raising money for a number of great causes," said Ken Cuffee,
an investment analyst in John Hancock's Real Estate Finance Group. "Without
this program, I doubt I would ever run a marathon, much less the
prestigious Boston Marathon. Nor would I have the joy that has come from
supporting in a very special way these great local organizations."
Ryan Hall, one of United States' best marathoners, has visited employees on
two occasions to share training tips and to offer his perspective on
running for a non-profit. Hall routinely donates his prize earnings to the
Hall Steps Foundation, a charitable organization he founded with his wife,
Sara, to address ending global poverty.
The MarathonMatters: Employee Training Program is part of John Hancock's
Boston Marathon Non-Profit Program, which last year raised more than $4.3
million for non-profits and since 2002 has raised $24.54 million. These
funds were part of the Company's $11.2 million of total support in 2010.
The Company also donates approximately 10,000 hours of community support
through its employee volunteer programs each year.
For 26 years, John Hancock has been the principal sponsor of the Boston
Marathon, and has worked in partnership with the Boston Athletic
Association to support one of the world's premier sporting events.
For more information about the Boston Marathon:
www.johnhancock.com/bostonmarathon/index.html Twitter @JHFS_Boston26
www.baa.org Twitter @B_A_A_
About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial
John Hancock Financial is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, a
leading Canadian-based financial services group serving millions of
customers in 22 countries and territories worldwide. Operating as Manulife
Financial in Canada and in most of Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in
the United States, Manulife Financial Corporation offers clients a diverse
range of financial protection products and wealth management services
through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution
partners. For more than 120 years, clients have looked to Manulife for
strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for their most
significant financial decisions. Funds under management by Manulife
Financial and its subsidiaries were $475 billion (US$478 billion) as at
December 31, 2010.
Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE,
and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the
Internet at www.manulife.com.
The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of
the largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers a broad
range of financial products and services, including life insurance, fixed
and variable annuities, fixed products, mutual funds, 401(k) plans,
long-term care insurance, college savings, and other forms of business
insurance. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at
www.johnhancock.com.
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