Boys & Girls Clubs In California Awarded New Grants By The Anthem Blue Cross And Caremore Foundations

Grants provide $5,000 to each Club to improve health & wellness factors among California youth to create healthier future generations

News provided by

Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Dec 04, 2018, 10:00 ET

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Through Triple Play, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Anthem Blue Cross and CareMore Foundations are delivering education and programming that promotes the importance of physical activity and proper nutrition, and enables youth to build the skills needed to overcome environmental factors that can negatively impact health and wellness. Thanks to $40,000 in Triple Play grants from Anthem Blue Cross Foundation and CareMore Foundation, more youth will have access to health and wellness programming in California.

Through the partnership, Boys & Girls Clubs in California have made significant strides in enabling youth to reach their full potential as healthy, productive adults. When comparing California Club kids to national youth averages, 84 percent of Clubs kids never drank alcohol while 37 percent of national youth reported never drinking alcohol. Thanks to the Anthem Blue Cross and CareMore Foundations, the following Clubs will receive grants to implement the Triple Play program:

Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Redlands-Riverside (Awarded by CareMore Foundation)
Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Los Angeles (Awarded CareMore Foundation)
Boys & Girls Clubs of the North Valley
Alameda Boys & Girls Club
Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley
Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco

"At Anthem Blue Cross, we are working to ensure California youth have an opportunity to live a healthier life," said Dr. Barsam Kasravi, Interim Anthem Blue Cross Medicaid Plan President. "Through our Foundations, we are taking a proactive approach to adolescent health that takes into consideration social and environmental factors that impact well-being, and providing access to resources and support that fosters a greater awareness about the benefits of leading a healthier lifestyle that can positively impact their future."

As Boys & Girls Clubs of America's proven health and wellness program, Triple Play is a game plan for the mind, body and soul. Supported by founding sponsor The Coca-Cola Company and co-sponsors, Anthem Blue Cross Foundation and CareMore Foundation, the program's three components deliver on the belief that whole child health fosters young people's ability to gain diverse knowledge, skills, and protective factors that enable them to overcome barriers to wellness, resulting in positive future health outcomes.

"Anthem Blue Cross and CareMore Foundations' continued support of Triple Play has enabled us to continuously build and implement a whole child development approach," said Jennifer Bateman, National Vice President of Youth Development Programs for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. "Through the partnership, we're enabling California youth in all communities statewide the opportunity to develop the healthy habits, and social and emotional skills to lead a healthy lifestyle for life."

The Anthem Blue Cross Foundation is committed to improving health and strengthening communities. Over the summer, the Foundation awarded Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento with a $25,000 grant to expand the Triple Play program for Sacramento youth.

Through Triple Play, Anthem Blue Cross Foundation and CareMore Foundation aims to create positive outcomes for youth, families and communities that are sustained over time. Together, the partnership seeks to level the playing field to enable all youth to achieve great futures.

The Triple Play grants are part of a five-year, $10 million commitment to Boys & Girls Clubs of America from The Anthem Foundation, Anthem Blue Cross and CareMore Foundations' parent company.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 150 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA.org) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, 4,400 Clubs serve 4 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Club programs promote academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 54 percent said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more on Facebook and Twitter.

About Anthem Blue Cross Foundation
Through charitable grant making, the Anthem Blue Cross Foundation LLC, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Association promotes Anthem Blue Cross's inherent commitment to enhance the health and well-being of individuals and families in communities that the company serves. The Foundation focuses its funding on strategic initiatives that address and provide innovative solutions to healthcare challenges, as well as promoting the Healthy Generations Program, a multi-generational initiative that targets specific disease states and medical conditions. These include: prenatal care in the first trimester, low birth weight babies, cardiac morbidity rates, long term activities that decrease obesity and increase physical activity, diabetes prevalence in adult populations, adult pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations and smoking cessation. The foundation also coordinates the company's year-round Associate Giving program that provides a 50 percent match of associates' pledges, as well as its Volunteer Time Off and Dollars for Doers community service programs. ®ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross names and symbol are registered marks of the Blue Cross Association.

About CareMore Foundation
The CareMore Foundation is the philanthropic arm of CareMore Health Plans, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anthem, Inc. Together with local, regional and national organizations, the CareMore Foundation works to enhance the health and well-being of individuals and families in communities that CareMore serves. CareMore Foundation funding is focused on strategic initiatives working to address and provide innovative solutions to health care challenges, as well as promoting the Healthy Generations Program, a multi-generational initiative with five areas of focus: Healthy Heart, Cancer Prevention, Healthy Maternal Practices, Type 2 Diabetes Prevention and Healthy Active Lifestyle. The Foundation also coordinates the company's year-round Associate Giving program that provides a 50 percent match of associates' campaign pledges, as well as its Volunteer Time Off and Dollars for Doers community service programs. For more information visit www.anthemcorporateresponsibility.com/cr/foundation.

Media Contacts:
Ashley Keyes, Boys & Girls Clubs of America
[email protected]
404-487-5466

Dionisia Malecki, Anthem Blue Cross
[email protected]
813-599-0364

SOURCE Boys & Girls Clubs of America