Eileen Boone (@EileenBooneCSR), senior vice president of corporate social responsibility and philanthropy for CVS Health, and president of the CVS Health Foundation, spoke with us recently about how her personal life drives her dedication to creating a thriving, sustainable business.
Read on to find out how Eileen takes advantage of her participation in the SB Corporate Member Network, what she likes to do in her free time and the work she’s most excited about.
What project are you most excited about right now?
EB: Our Be The First initiative to deliver the next tobacco-free generation is something I am extremely passionate and excited about. As a mother of six children under the age of 20, I know how challenging it can be to teach young people healthy habits and coping mechanisms so they don’t turn to dangerous and harmful behaviors.
As an extension of our commitment to help people lead tobacco-free lives by stopping the sale of tobacco products at our CVS Pharmacy stores, we launched this five-year, $50 million initiative.
Our goal is to help young people who smoke to quit and make sure that those who don’t, never start.
We’ve made great progress in the first two years of Be The First and have built some very powerful partnerships with organizations like the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the American Cancer Society and the Truth Initiative.
What inspires and drives you to work on sustainability?
EB: At CVS Health, our purpose is helping people on their path to better health. That drives our decisions from a CSR standpoint, but also inspires and drives me personally.
Our CSR roadmap, which we call our Prescription for a Better World, is focused on three key pillars – supporting community health, protecting our planet and creating economic opportunities. Seeing how this work is helping to advance our purpose reminds me how valuable our efforts are.
From a personal standpoint, it goes without saying that the work I do is driven by a desire to ensure that my children and future generations have a thriving environment and economy.
Can you share something about yourself that would surprise us? Any hidden talents?
EB: I am an avid runner and love to hike, which might not surprise you. I also love to get involved in the activities my kids are exploring, so I recently began taking piano lessons again after more than 30 years. It’s interesting to see how having mom in class motivates kids to practice!
If you had unlimited time and resources, what type of work would you want to collaborate with fellow SB Members on?
EB: We believe collaboration is critical to helping achieve our goals. The tagline for our Prescription for a Better World CSR roadmap is “Improving Lives Together,” which signals the need and our desire to partner with others to make an impact.
I always value the time I spend at the annual conference and being able to use that forum to connect with our suppliers and partners and also meet new members who could be great collaborators.
This year, we’re specifically focused on increasing opportunities for recycling across our enterprise and will rely on our SB member network partners who are also our CVS Pharmacy suppliers to create opportunities for customer engagement.
What do you work on in your free time?
EB: I serve on a number of boards, both personally and professionally. These include the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation and Crossroads Rhode Island. This allows me to support the philanthropic commitments of our company while also providing a great deal of personal enrichment.
Why is your participation in the SB Member Network important?
EB: There are a number of reasons, ranging from relationship building to trend watching and professional development. We learn so much from our fellow members and often connect with those that are on a similar journey.
We also rely on the expertise of the SB Member Network in key areas including environmental sustainability. My team very much values the online resource portal and the opportunities for learning at conferences and other events throughout the year.
Anything else you'd like to share with fellow SB Members?
EB: I just want to share that I appreciate their partnership and I’m excited to continue on this journey together to make the world a better place for future generations.
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Feb 21, 2018 2pm EST / 11am PST / 7pm GMT / 8pm CET