Blue Cross Volunteers Help 52 Nonprofits Build Healthier Communities During Annual Service Day

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.

Service Day 2019 Locations

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 FacebookTwitterYouTube, and LinkedIn.

 

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

For further information: Amy McHugh, amy.mchugh@bcbsma.com, 617-246-2311