John Hancock Extends Boston Marathon Charitable Effort with #RunBold Street Banner Offer to Marathon Finishers

BOSTON, April 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- For Boston Marathon finishers who would like to commemorate their race last week, John Hancock is extending its charitable efforts and #RunBold social media campaign by offering the first 120 runners who donate $250 to the Home Base Program a personalized Boston Marathon street banner.

Home Base is a Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Program that heals the invisible wounds of war for post-9/11 Veterans, Service Members and their Families through clinical care, wellness, education and research.

"The response to our #RunBold social media campaign in which individuals could create their own banner image for a chance to have it displayed on Boylston Street was outstanding, and we thought offering the opportunity to Marathon finishers, as a way for them to commemorate their race while supporting a great cause, was a win-win," said Robert Friedman, head of John Hancock Sponsorship and Event Marketing.

Runners wishing to participate must donate to the Home Base Program on the John Hancock Boston Marathon CrowdRise event page at https://www.crowdrise.com/BostonMarathonBanner. The Home Base page on CrowdRise will feature a mock-up of the banner, Home Base logo and mission statement, a link to their website, and an explanation of the initiative.

The 2016 Boston Marathon street banners focused on the theme of endurance and feature runners, volunteers or cheering fans, with one of twelve theme words associated with the Boston Marathon experience: Gratitude, Passion, Pride, Dedication, Inspired, Drive, Psyched, Believe, Heart, Strength, Glory, Spirit and, recently added, Finisher. The #RunBold social media campaign was designed to engage people to celebrate their unique involvement with the Boston Marathon by inviting them to create a personalized image of themselves on a digital banner featuring one of this year's theme words.

About JHextramile.com
JHextramile.com is a blog site established by John Hancock in 2013 to provide inspiration for going the extra mile in order to reach goals relating to personal health, fitness training, fundraising, or making a difference in the lives of family members, friends, or the community.  Occasional posts are made by experts and ordinary individuals with stories to share.

About John Hancock and Manulife
John Hancock Financial is part of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading international financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. Operating as Manulife in Canada and Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, our group of companies offers clients a diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners.  Assets under management by Manulife and its subsidiaries were $935 billion (US $676 billion) as at December 31, 2015. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSA, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife can be found on the Internet at manulife.com.

The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of the largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers and administers a broad range of financial products, including life insurance, annuities, investments, 401(k) plans, long-term care insurance, college savings, and other forms of business insurance. Follow John Hancock on Twitter @JohnHancockUSA or visit www.johnhancock.com.

About Home Base
Home Base, a Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Program, is dedicated to healing the invisible wounds for Post-9/11 Veterans, Service Members and their Families through world-class clinical care, wellness, education and research. As a National Center of Excellence, Home Base operates the first and largest private-sector clinic in the nation devoted to healing invisible wounds such as post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, anxiety, depression, co-occurring substance use disorder, military sexual trauma, family relationship challenges and other issues associated with military service. Since inception, Home Base has served more than 9,000 Veterans and family members with care and support, trained more than 25,000 clinicians, educators and community members nationally and remains at the forefront of discovering new treatments—ensuring a brighter future for the 21^st century warrior and military family. For more information please visit www.homebase.org.

SOURCE John Hancock Financial