Health And Wellness Grant Awarded To Boys & Girls Clubs Of South Central Kansas

The Gamesroom is a place with in a Boys & Girls Club where members are able to take part in a wide variety of games and activities and can socialize with their friends. It is the most utilized program area in the Boys & Girls Club and as a result take a lot of wear and tear.

"I salute Amerigroup Foundation for their continued commitment to ensuring that Kansas youths have access to tools and health education that will help them live  healthy lifestyles," said Lieutenant Governor Dr. Jeff Colyer. "Amerigroup Foundation has proven it is invested in our state and working towards successful outcomes for all Kansans."

The renovation of the new room is made possible locally through the support of Amerigroup Foundation and includes areas where kids and teens can participate in educational activities that teach them social skills that enable them to relate to others effectively and how to contribute in positive ways to the culture around them.  

"Amerigroup Foundation is committed to improving health and strengthening Kansas communities, so providing a space where kids and teens in South Central Kansas can build healthy habits and have fun is really important to us", said Frank Clepper, Amerigroup Kansas president. "We're proud to support programs that support spaces like this – to create a healthy environment for kids and teens to learn and grow in a positive place."

While the Gamesroom is a flurry of activity, with a number of different games happening at the same time, it is positive environment where character development, teamwork and conflict-resolution lessons are occurring as part of the Club's Triple Play program.

Triple Play is Boys & Girls Clubs of America's signature health and wellness program focused on the mind, body and soul to teach kids and teens about living a healthy lifestyle. Since 2005, Triple Play has made connections with more than 10 million youth around the country.

"We must do everything possible to provide a state-of-the art environment where kids and teens can learn and develop the leadership and social skills needed to be great inside and outside of the Club. This new Gamesroom will help our Club members develop social and emotional wellbeing, a key component to achieving success in working with others and a great future," said Juston White, Boys & Girls Club of South Central Kansas' Executive Director said. "We're very excited about the improvements and we thank Amerigroup Foundation for their commitment to our Boys & Girls Club and the Wichita community."

Social recreation is essential to the healthy development of children and teens. Through the Triple Play program, Boys & Girls Clubs are influencing the next generation of leaders who are socially and morally sound.

An evaluation conducted by Youth Development Strategies, Inc. in 2009 found that the Triple Play program has improved youth's interactions with peers at the Club. The study also proved that Triple Play helps both youth who start with good quality peer relationships and those who start with poor ones improve social interaction.

About Triple Play
Sponsored by The Anthem Foundation and The Coca-Cola Company, Triple Play is Boys & Girls Clubs of America's signature health and wellness program. Triple Play began in 2005 and focuses on nutrition and health education, access to healthy meals, and teaching youth how to commit to fitness as well as positive relationship building and self-confidence elements. Learn more about the program at www.bgca.org/tripleplay.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of South Central Kansas
For more than 25 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of South Central Kansas (http://www.begreatwichita.rg) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. We operate 2 Clubs locally and serve nearly 850 young people annually through Club membership and community outreach. Our Clubs provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun, friendship, a warm meal, 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 recent survey of our members 70% of our Club kids reported increased self-esteem, and 72.9% felt they were on track to graduate. Learn more at www.begreatwichita.org or https://www.facebook.com/boysandgirlsclubsofsouthcentralkansas

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.

SOURCE Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Related Links

http://www.bgca.org