INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Anthem is mobilizing thousands of associates during Anthem Volunteer Days, the company’s third annual season of service that began this month and will continue throughout November. With events scheduled across 27 cities and 14 states nationwide, associates are gathering to strengthen their communities by teaming with local service organizations through hands-on team projects.
Launched in 2015 as an ongoing collaboration with Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF), Anthem Volunteer Days has quickly become Anthem Foundation’s signature volunteer initiative and a favorite tradition for the company’s associates to work alongside local Lions in the communities where they both live.
Since the start of the partnership with the LCIF and Lions clubs, nearly 2,500 Anthem associates have volunteered alongside 1,300 Lions to achieve 12,000 hours of service through 76 health and wellness projects to date, including preparing and serving meals for the homeless, assembling emergency kits for seniors and helping beautify trails and parks for children and families to enjoy.
“Last year, including their support during our season of service, our associates invested more than 62,000 volunteer hours in the communities where we live and work,” said Joseph Swedish, Chairman, President and CEO of Anthem, Inc. “Given the recent natural disasters across the country, it’s more important than ever that our communities feel supported, so this year, we’re excited to build on this outstanding momentum as we work together to help rebuild and strengthen our communities.”
In addition to these joint service projects, the $250,000 grant from the Anthem Foundation also provides LCIF with dedicated support for Lions-Anthem Foundation Healthy Heroes Grants for Lions-led humanitarian programs that promote wellness and healthy, active lifestyles year round for all. These grants will be awarded for projects in Lions and Anthem communities that support improved health outcomes ranging from positive youth development to empowering individuals with disabilities to become more independent and equipment to improve local health and wellness related services.
“This pioneering corporate responsibility partnership is bearing fruit for Lions, Anthem associates, and most importantly, communities across the United States,” said Bob Corlew, LCIF Chairman. Recently, a team of Lions club members joined Swedish along with Anthem Associates in assembling more than 3,000 backpacks of food for underserved children at the 2017 Anthem Volunteer Days kick-off event in Indianapolis. “We’re excited to continue this great work with Anthem and the Anthem Foundation into 2017,” said Corlew.
Follow the Anthem Foundation on Twitter (@AnthemFDN) or the hashtag #AnthemCares and #LionsAVD to see highlights from Anthem Volunteer Days across the country.
About Anthem, Inc.
Anthem is working to transform health care with trusted and caring solutions. Our health plan companies deliver quality products and services that give their members access to the care they need. With over 74 million people served by its affiliated companies, including more than 40 million within its family of health plans, Anthem is one of the nation’s leading health benefits companies. For more information about Anthem’s family of companies, please visit www.antheminc.com/companies.
About The 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 address and provide innovative solutions to health care challenges, as well as promoting the Healthy Generations Program, a multi-generational initiative that targets specific disease states and medical conditions. 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’ pledges, 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 http://anthemfoundation.tumblr.com.
Lions Clubs International (LCI) is the largest service club organization in the world. Our 1.4 million members in more than 47,000 clubs provide humanitarian service in more than 200 countries and geographical areas around the globe. Since 1917, Lions clubs have aided the blind and visually impaired, championed youth initiatives and strengthened communities through hands-on service and humanitarian projects. For more information about Lions Clubs International, visit www.lionsclubs.org. Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) is the charitable arm of Lions Clubs International. Since 1968, LCIF has supported Lions by providing grant funding for their local and global humanitarian efforts, including treating and preventing avoidable blindness, empowering youth and providing disaster relief on a global scale. Learn more at www.lcif.org.