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.
From Holyoke to Sandwich, Blue Cross volunteers will help improve access to healthy living programming and initiatives in 36 towns and communities by supporting service projects such as creating new outdoor play spaces for children to stay active, harvesting fresh produce to donate to local food pantries, and cleaning beaches and clearing trails to improve access to green space.
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
