Boys & Girls Clubs In Iowa Awarded New Grants By Amerigroup Foundation

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

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Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Nov 29, 2018, 10:00 ET

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa, Nov. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Through Triple Play, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Amerigroup Foundation 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 $10,000 in Triple Play grants from Amerigroup Foundation, more youth will have access to health and wellness programming in Iowa.

Through the partnership, Boys & Girls Clubs in Iowa have made significant strides in enabling youth to reach their full potential as healthy, productive adults. When comparing Iowa Club kids to national youth averages, 67 percent of Club kids eat more than two servings of fruit per day compared to 32 percent of national youth who reported eating over 2 servings of fruit per day. Thanks to the Amerigroup Foundation, the following Clubs will receive grants to implement the Triple Play program:

Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa
Boys & Girls Club of Story County, Iowa

"At Amerigroup Foundation, we are working to ensure Iowa youth have an opportunity to live a healthier life," said Jeff Jones, Amerigroup Iowa president. "Through our Foundation, we are taking a proactive approach to adolescent health, taking into consideration social and environmental factors that impact well-being, and providing access to resources and support that foster a greater awareness of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle."

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-sponsor, Amerigroup 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.

"Amerigroup Foundation's 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 Iowa youth in all communities statewide the opportunity to develop the healthy habits, and social and emotional skills to lead a healthy lifestyle for life."

Through Triple Play, Amerigroup 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, Amerigroup Foundation's 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 Foundation
The Anthem Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Anthem, Inc. and through charitable contributions and programs, the Foundation promotes the inherent commitment of Anthem, Inc. to enhance the health and well-being of individuals and families in communities that Anthem, Inc. and its affiliated health plans serve. The Foundation focuses its funding on strategic initiatives that make up it Healthy Generations Program, a multi-generational initiative that targets: maternal health, diabetes prevention, cancer prevention, heart health and healthy, active lifestyles, behavioral health efforts and programs that benefit people with disabilities. The Foundation also coordinates the company's year-round Dollars for Dollars program which provides a 100 percent match of associates' donations, as well as its Volunteer Time Off and Dollars for Doers community service programs. To learn more about the Anthem Foundation, please visit http://www.anthem.foundation and its blog at https://medium.com/anthemfoundation.

SOURCE Boys & Girls Clubs of America