Blue Cross Volunteers Help 52 Nonprofits Build Healthier Communities During Annual Service Day

News provided by

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Sep 20, 2019, 07:41 ET

BOSTON, Sept. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, 3,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts associates are volunteering at service projects across the Commonwealth focused on improving the health of children and families as part of the company's annual Service Day.

In addition to volunteer support, each Service Day nonprofit partner will also receive a $5,000 grant for materials to assist in their efforts. These grants, coupled with the 20,000 volunteer hours Blue Cross associates will contribute, brings the total 2019 community contribution on Service Day upwards of $1.2 million. Since Service Day's inception in 2011, Blue Cross has made more than $8 million in community contributions on the annual volunteer day.

"We look forward to Service Day every year," said Andrew Dreyfus, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts President and CEO. "Our associates demonstrate their commitment to our members every day but, Service Day provides an opportunity to partner with over 50 worthy not-for-profits to improve the health of all Massachusetts residents."

"I've volunteered with the Old Colony YMCA for the past four years," says Cassaundra Smith, Operations Support Lead with Health Engagement at Blue Cross and site leader at the Old Colony YMCA – Middleboro project. "It is rewarding to go back each year and add to the projects we've completed to help create spaces that encourage healthy, active lifestyles. It really makes you feel connected to the camp and the families it serves."

For more information on Blue Cross' annual Service Day and the company's commitment to healthy living, visit its Corporate Citizenship website, read the 2018 Annual Report, or view highlights of Service Day 2018.

Service Day community partners and projects:

Organization	Location	Project Description
Boston Harbor Now	Hingham	Cleaning beaches, clearing walking trails, and cutting back invasive plants to ensure Boston Harbor Islands is a vibrant, public space - now and for future generations
Boston Home	Dorchester	Painting the activity center and building raised garden beds for adults with Multiple Sclerosis
Boston Scores	Dorchester	Beautifying the outdoor play space at the Thomas J. Kenny Elementary School in Dorchester by painting a mural, gardening, and restoring outdoor furniture
Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell	Lowell	Painting and reorganizing program spaces to make them bright and vibrant and create an environment for kids to learn and develop new skills
Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston	Roxbury	Help spruce up the gardens and playground, wash down the pool deck, clean and organize program rooms, prepare a healthy meal and snack, and assemble 300 back-to-school kits
Brockton VA - VHA Boston	Brockton	Supporting our nation's heroes by painting outdoor areas, creating patient welcome kits, visiting patients, and cleaning over 600 windows at the Brockton VA
Camp Harbor View	Boston	Helping clean, organize, and prepare the camp for winter, to ensure that Camp Harbor View is prepared for next summer
Cape Cod YMCA	Sandwich	Maintaining the YMCA Cape Cod's Camp Lyndon's existing walking trails by pruning brush, planting, and spreading wood chips
Catholic Charities	Hull	Constructing a new swing set to revamp the playground at Sunset Point Camp and help close the facilities for the season
Community Servings	Jamaica Plain	Supporting individuals and families living with critical and chronic illness by assisting in meal prep and food packaging for the Community Servings Food and Nutrition program
Cradles to Crayons	Blue Cross offices in Hingham and Quincy	Assembling arts & crafts kits, outfit packs and hats & gloves sets to benefit just over 28,000 kids in one single day
Crossroads	Duxbury	Maintain Crossroad's Camp Wing by helping with landscaping, bike maintenance, demolition, painting, general cleaning, and organizing
Girl Scouts of Eastern MA	Waltham	Maintaining trails to ensure that the network of trails is accessible, safe and welcoming to all girl scouts as they learn about themselves in nature
Girls Inc. of Worcester	Worcester	Helping Girls Inc., a 100+ year old organization, sort, archive, and organize photos, administrative records, and other documents to maintain their history
Greater Boston Food Bank	Boston	Packaging 750 snack packs given as a supplement to the food families receive during GBFB's monthly distributions
Greenroots	Chelsea	Improving the Chelsea community by beautifying the walking paths, painting signs, restoring a playground
Holly Hill Farm	Cohasset	Spending a day at the Holly Hill Farm in Cohasset weeding, mulching, harvesting, maintaining trails, and visiting the Farm's animals
Hull Lifesaving Museum	Hull	Scraping and painting the Hull Lifesaving Museum's boat house, repairing ramps, sprucing up the museum's gardens, and refurbishing the indoor and outdoor spaces
JoinedForces	Holyoke	Painting, landscaping and repairing the home of an individual in Holyoke who has served in the Military
MA Coalition for the Homeless	Lynn	Assembling, sanding, and painting beds for homeless children
MA Military Support Foundation	Buzzards Bay	Preparing for the holidays by sorting and wrapping 15,000 gifts for military children
Magical Moon Foundation	Marshfield	Enhancing the accessibility of the Magical Moon Farm by completing and paving a pathway so that all the children suffering from cancer may enjoy the enchanted gardens and the many wonders
Mass Audubon	Mattapan	Helping bring children and families closer to nature at Mass Audubon by planting trees and bushes that block views of surrounding buildings
May Institute	Brockton	Enhancing the home of children and adolescents with brain injuries and neurobehavioral disorders by painting the hallways, classrooms and common areas and assisting in craft and garden projects
Message of Hope Foundation	Pocasset	Creating and assembling activities and crafts in Happy Hope Holiday Bags distributed to young children hospitalized over the holidays
Old Colony YMCA (Middleboro)	Middleboro	Creating and installing fun elements for a "Ninja Warrior" obstacle course at Camp Yomechas
Old Colony YMCA (Plymouth)	Plymouth	Constructing a 10-station fitness trail - signage and all! - that will follow an existing nature path at the Old Colony YMCA's Camp Clark
Old Colony YMCA (Stoughton)	Stoughton	Building a new archery range for campers to develop their mental and physical skills
Pine Street Inn	Boston	Chopping more than 1,800 lbs. of vegetables for healthy emergency shelter meals at Pine Street Inn
Playworks	Lawrence	Transforming the school playground and facilitating recess for children at the Bruce School in Lawrence
Project Just Because	Hopkinton	Organizing and sorting warm winter clothing, holiday toys, and household items to support families in the Central MA area
Room to Grow	Hyde Park	Sorting and organizing donations of infant and toddler clothes, toys, and books at Room to Grow's new warehouse space
Save the Harbor Save the Bay	Boston	Beautifying the Boston seashore along Carson Beach by picking up trash, weeding, and painting covered awnings
South Shore YMCA	Quincy	Helping clean and organize the Teen Program area at the YMCA and building raised garden beds, spreading mulch, and gardening at the Germantown Neighborhood Center
Stars	Weymouth	Transforming Stars' Weymouth pre-school's outdoor play area into a fun, safe and educational space
The Food Project	Lincoln	Planting and harvesting produce that is donated to local hunger organizations
The Trustees	Hingham	Harvesting produce, clearing out pastureland and cleaning up the beautiful stone walls at Hingham's last functional farm
Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center	Boston	Preparing Thompson Island for their annual 4K Trail Run by clearing trails and landscaping
United South End Settlements	Boston	Beautifying the outdoor play space and painting and organizing classrooms at USES Early Education Center
United Way	Blue Cross Boston office	Assembling fine motor skills activity kits and building educational games for kids k-5
Urban Farming Institute	Dorchester	Harvesting vegetables, weeding, moving compost, and maintaining garden beds in an urban farm designed to engage urban communities in building a healthier, locally based food system
VietAID	Dorchester	Painting classrooms and landscaping the outdoor gardens to revamp community space used by Boston's Vietnamese community
West End House	Allston	Setting up an obstacle course and painting signs with educational tips for West End House's annual Healthy Living afterschool event
Wonderfund (Cambridge)	Cambridge	Transforming the child/parent meeting rooms at the Department of Children and Families office into a comfortable, soothing space
Wonderfund (Worcester)	Worcester	Transforming the child/parent meeting rooms at the Department of Children and Families office into a comfortable, soothing space
Worcester Senior Center	Worcester	Expanding and improving Worcester Senior Center's community garden to make it more accessible for seniors
YMCA of Greater Boston	Canton	Assisting with clean-up projects including landscaping exterior spaces, gardening projects and cleaning and organizing projects within the cabins – Postponed until Spring 2020
YMCA Southcoast (Dartmouth)	Wareham	Building benches for the firepit, constructing an outdoor stage for camper performances, and creating an enclosure for the archery area at the Southcoast YMCA in Dartmouth
YMCA Southcoast (Wareham)	Dartmouth	Building elements for a mud run and a bocce ball court, building flower boxes and make birthday cards for the campers at the Southcoast YMCA in Wareham
YouthBuild	Roxbury	Volunteering alongside Boston youth improving the Haley House community garden by harvesting produce and building garden trellises and picnic tables
Zoo New England	Boston	Painting, planting, and cleaning spaces across the Zoo's 75 acres for kids, adults, and the animals to enjoy

About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (bluecrossma.com) is a community-focused, tax-paying, not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Boston. We are committed to the relentless pursuit of quality, affordable health care with an unparalleled consumer experience. Consistent with our promise to always put our members first, we are rated among the nation's best health plans for member satisfaction and quality. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts