Northwestern Mutual – St. Louis and Cheeriodicals use teambuilding to spread cheer to patients at SSM Cardinal Glennon

St. LOUIS (Jan. 8, 2014) – Northwestern Mutual – St. Louis and Cheeriodicals brought cheer in the form of 220 big green boxes to children suffering from injury and serious illness at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center during its “Cheeriodicals Day” event held today. Cheeriodicals are “big green boxes of cheer” made up, in this case, of age-appropriate magazines, toys, puzzles, crafts and more goodies for the children to enjoy.

“We’re excited to work with Northwestern Mutual to bring smiles to every child at Cardinal Glennon” said Gary Parisher, president of Cheeriodicals.  “Nothing we do matters more than our efforts for children’s medical centers.”

The boxes are tailored to boys or girls and specific age groups and are sure to bring joy to the children and even included a few surprises for the parents. The Cheeriodicals were put together during a teambuilding exercise held yesterday with  Northwestern Mutual employees.

“We’re thrilled to work with Cheeriodicals to bring happiness to children who are battling cancer and other diseases,” said Gerard Hempstead, managing partner of the Northwestern Mutual – St. Louis office. “As a father of three, I can’t imagine the heartache of seeing your child in pain as they are suffering from serious injury or illnesses.  Our hope is that by bringing a smile to the child, we can bring a smile to their entire family.”

“We are grateful to all of the Northwestern Mutual and Cheeriodicals employees who visited Cardinal Glennon today,” said Dan Buck, vice president of SSM Health Care Foundations. “We sincerely appreciate Gerard and his team for sponsoring this day of smiles. All of our patients were thrilled to receive such special and fun gifts, bringing them joy in a time of uncertainty.”

Contributing to this day of smiles, St. Louis Two Men and a Truck, specializing in residential and commercial moves, donated their time and services to transport the 220 Cheeriodicals to SSM Cardinal Glennon.

About Northwestern Mutual
Northwestern Mutual is among the “World’s Most Admired” life insurance companies in 2013 according to FORTUNE® magazine and has helped clients achieve financial security for more than 156 years. As a mutual company with $1.4 trillion of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual has no shareholders. The company focuses solely and directly on its clients and seeks to deliver consistent and dependable value to them over time.

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Milwaukee, WI, and its subsidiaries. Northwestern Mutual and its subsidiaries offer a holistic approach to financial security solutions including: life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance, annuities, investment products, and advisory products and services. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC, broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, limited purpose federal savings bank; Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company; and Russell Investments.For more information about Northwestern Mutual’s – St. Louis office, please visit:  http://www.stlouis.nm.com

About Cheeriodicals
Cheeriodicals, a national online gift company, presents a unique alternative in the on-line gifting industry.  The Cheeriodical (a cheerful periodical) brings cheer and entertainment to men and women, combining a keepsake gift box containing the gift recipient’s favorite magazines with carefully selected snacks in individual portions.  Cheeriodicals also provide gifts for children, combining age-appropriate magazines with activities, crafts and toys.  For more information about Cheeriodicals visit www.cheeriodicals.com, or follow us on twitter.com/cheeriodical and facebook.com/cheeriodicals.