A Life Worth Celebrating is Coming to Chicago September 20 & 21

Honoring America's fallen servicemen and women by supporting their children

On Thursday, September 20, Owens & Minor, Inc. will kick-off a two-day volunteer effort to benefit children affiliated with A Soldier's Child Foundation (ASC), a charitable organization that serves the children of active duty military personnel who have given their lives while defending the United States of America. The A Life Worth Celebrating shopping/wrapping event precedes the upcoming Healthcare Supplier Diversity Symposium (HSDS) that Owens & Minor is hosting at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare on September 24 & 25. Daryl J.W. Mackin, the founder and executive director of A Soldier's Child, will deliver one of the keynote addresses at the symposium.

"I'm honored to host this shopping, wrapping and birthday party event for ASC," said Lamounte Coleman, general manager of Owens & Minor's Chicago Distribution Center. "It's a wonderful hands-on opportunity to give back to families that have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Corporate philanthropy is part of the Owens & Minor DNA. As we work to enhance healthcare delivery and improve patient outcomes on a daily basis, we also support organizations like ASC, whose work strengthens our communities. ASC was selected as HSDS's charitable partner because of the critical support and community it provides for the children and families of fallen soldiers. And, as the symposium is dedicated to the concept that increasing the participation of veteran-, woman- and minority-owned businesses in the healthcare products industry makes a positive impact on communities, it's a natural tie-in." Approximately 100 volunteers from Owens & Minor, their industry partners, customers, and members of the VFW and VA Disabled Veterans are expected to join the effort.

A Life Worth Celebrating birthday parties honor the memory of fallen American servicemen and women by giving meaningful gifts to their children on their birthdays, letting the children know that there are many Americans who are grateful for their sacrifice. On Thursday, September 20, volunteers will gather at Walmart located at 314 W. Army Road in Bloomingdale at 2:00 p.m. to shop for 200 children who will celebrate their birthdays in October. At noon on Friday, September 21, volunteers will meet at Owens & Minor at 437 Tower Boulevard in Carol Stream for a Gift Wrapping Party to wrap and package their gifts for shipping. The two-day event culminates at 5:30 p.m. with a special birthday party event to honor a girl from the Chicago-area, who is celebrating her sixth birthday.

About A Soldier's Child Foundation

A Soldier's Child Foundation, based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, was created by Daryl Mackin in 2008 when he realized that children who have lost a parent serving in combat, like his neighbor's grandson, Christian Golczynski—the son of U.S. Marine Staff Sgt Marc Golczynski—would never receive another gift or party from their mother/father because they gave their life while defending our freedoms. "We aim to honor the memory of the parent by giving a meaningful gift to his/her children on their birthday," said Daryl Mackin. "Christian Golczynski was the first child to receive a gift from ASC, and our goal is to reach every soldier's child; adopting them into the foundation until they are of adult age. We cannot substitute the bond and love of the parent that is forever gone, but with your help we can show them that we do care." In addition to birthday celebrations, ASC offers mentorship programs, camping experiences, and helps to facilitate college scholarships.

Owens & Minor is a member of A Soldier's Child Compassionate Corporate America Partnerships.

About the Healthcare Supplier Diversity Symposium

Now in its 13th year, the Healthcare Supplier Diversity Symposium (HSDS) hosted by Owens & Minor, Inc., is a forum for healthcare executives and healthcare industry influencers that is focused on the key topics affecting the healthcare industry's supply chain today and explores how the inclusion of diverse suppliers expands choices for healthcare providers and strengthens the delivery of healthcare. For more information about the 2018 Healthcare Supplier Diversity Symposium at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Chicago, Illinois, visit http://www.hsdsymposium.com/.

For more information or to volunteer for the shopping/wrapping event on September 20 and 21, please visit https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f044caeaa23abf58-omchicago. For more information about A Soldier's Child Foundation visit https://asoldierschild.org.

About Owens & Minor

Owens & Minor, Inc. OMI is a global healthcare solutions company with integrated technologies, products, and services aligned to deliver significant and sustained value for healthcare providers and manufacturers across the continuum of care. With 17,000 dedicated teammates serving healthcare industry customers in 90 countries, Owens & Minor helps to reduce total costs across the supply chain by optimizing episode and point-of-care performance, freeing up capital and clinical resources, and managing contracts to optimize financial performance. A FORTUNE 500 company, Owens & Minor has annualized revenues of approximately $10 billion, including contributions from Halyard Health S&IP. Founded in 1882, Owens & Minor has operated continuously from its Richmond, Virginia, headquarters. Today, the company now has distribution, production, customer service and sales facilities located across Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the U.S. For more information about Owens & Minor, visit owens-minor.com, follow @Owens_Minor on Twitter, and connect on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/owens-&-minor.

Owens & Minor is member of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and the Healthcare Industry Distributor's Association (HIDA).

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