Univera trip included time in the field observing distributions of vitamins with non-profit, Vitamin Angels
SEATTLE – May 16, 2014 – As part of its commitment to revitalizing communities, Univera founder and chairman Bill Lee and the company’s Serve First™ team recently returned from the Dominican Republic, where they assisted Vitamin Angels ‘ in-country partners in distributing multivitamins and albendazole, a deworming treatment, to the country’s at-risk children and mothers.
Univera, through its philanthropic arm, Serve First, has partnered with Vitamin Angels on a variety of projects to help support their cause. Over the past four years, the Univera Serve First team has visited Vitamin Angels’ projects in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, and its most recent trip to the Dominican Republic. Vitamin Angels helps at-risk populations in need – specifically pregnant women, new mothers, and children under five – gain access to lifesaving and life changing vitamins and minerals. Their program in the Dominican Republic is reaching more than 1 million children with vitamin A as well as about 42,000 pregnant women, new mothers and children under five with daily multivitamins.
According to Vitamin Angels, millions of children around the world are suffering from a lack of micronutrients that can lead to disease and even death. In fact, 45 percent of all childhood deaths are attributable to undernutrition. To help support these global challenges, Univera, whose culture is rooted in caring – for self, for nature, for the world, and for the community – created Serve First, a public charity dedicated to providing nutritional support to impoverished children around the world. Since its inception, Serve First has generated nearly $1.5 million in donations, a large portion of which goes to Vitamin Angels.
As part of the Serve First program, in addition to providing monetary support, Univera Associates can earn an opportunity to join Serve First and Vitamin Angels on annual humanitarian trips to locations around the globe. Those who attend receive a first-hand experience of their donations in action, observing vitamin distributions, interacting with beneficiaries and gaining a greater understanding of the causes of undernutrition
“One of the most basic ways to begin improving quality of life is by improving quality of nutrition and nourishment,” said Bill Lee, CEO of Univera. “The first step to making a difference is believing that you can. We are committed to ensuring that children all over the world have access to essential nutrients.”
About Vitamin Angels
Vitamin Angels helps at-risk populations in need—specifically pregnant women, new mothers, and children under five—gain access to lifesaving and life changing vitamins and minerals. In 2014, Vitamin Angels is working to reach 40 million children in approximately 45 countries, including the US, with the vital nutrients they need as a foundation for good health. Vitamin Angels has received seven consecutive four-star ratings from Charity Navigator for Financial Health, Accountability and Transparency. To learn more, visit www.vitaminangels.org.
About Univera
Univera, Inc. (www.univera.com) is a leader in the natural products industry delivering high quality, life-changing health products to hundreds of thousands of customers across North America. A part of the ECONET family of companies, Univera is fully integrated from farm to family – growing, discovering, developing and manufacturing its products with an intense commitment to naturally derived compounds, advanced biological research and quality control. As a relationship marketing company, Univera also provides a lucrative financial opportunity that rewards people for sharing the gift of health with others, creating a successful business model of people helping people to enhance their vitality and prosperity.
