Boys & Girls Clubs in Maryland Awarded Four New Grants By Amerigroup Foundation

Amerigroup Foundation will be issuing the Triple Play grants to the following Clubs to encourage healthy eating and physical activities for Club members:

• Boys & Girls Club of Metropolitan Baltimore – Westport Homes Unit
• Boys & Girls Club of Metropolitan Baltimore – O'Donnell Heights Unit
• Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club of Baltimore – Glen Burnie Unit
• Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club of Baltimore – Franklin Square Unit

"Amerigroup is committed to encouraging teens and younger children to stay active and we believe that after-school programs such as Triple Play are critical for building lifelong healthy habits," said Vince Ancona, president, Amerigroup Maryland. "Our partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America will offer kids throughout the state with constructive games and fun activities that will be available to them during after-school hours and over the weekend."

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 encourage Club members to eat healthier (mind), become more physically active (body) and increase their ability to engage in healthy relationships (soul).

"Year after year we experience tremendous adoption of our Triple Play programs, and thanks to continued support from our partner Amerigroup Foundation we are able to bring Triple Play to even more Clubs across the country," said Dr. Jennifer Bateman, national vice president for programs, training and youth development with BGCA. "The new grants in Maryland will create a healthy environment where our youth can thrive, and the funds will have a lasting impact on the kids and teens served by these Clubs."

Amerigroup Foundation is committed to improving health and strengthening Maryland communities. Through its Healthy Generations grant program, Amerigroup Foundation works to identify the issues most in need of attention and then directs its financial support and volunteer efforts toward improving health in those areas. Promoting youth health and active lifestyles is an ongoing focus of the foundation.

The Triple Play grants announced today are part of a five-year, $10 million commitment from Amerigroup Foundation's parent company foundation to BGCA to promote healthy lifestyles.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 150 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (GreatFutures.org) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, more than 4,200 Clubs serve nearly 4 million young people annually 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, friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Priority programs emphasize 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 at http://www.bgca.org/facebook and http://bgca.org/twitter.

About the Amerigroup Foundation
The Amerigroup Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Amerigroup, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anthem, Inc. Together, with local, regional and national organizations, the Amerigroup Foundation works to enhance the health and well-being of individuals and families in communities that Amerigroup and its affiliated health plans serve. Amerigroup 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. These disease states and medical conditions 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 which provides a 50 percent match of associates' campaign pledges, as well as its Volunteer Time Off and Dollars for Doers community service programs. To learn more about the Amerigroup Foundation, please visit www.anthem.foundation.

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SOURCE Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Related Links

http://www.bgca.org