CIGNA Teams Up with YMCA to Promote Healthy Lifestyles

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--While some people might wear their heart on their sleeve, this summer CIGNA employees will be wearing their hearts on their wrists. In conjunction with its title sponsorship of the 36^th annual CIGNA Falmouth Road Race, CIGNA employees will be taking part in a company-wide campaign in support of YMCA’s Activate America® initiative through the sale of gel wristbands. Activate America is the YMCA’s response to our nation’s growing health crisis by engaging communities across the country to better support Americans of all ages who are struggling to achieve and maintain well-being of spirit, mind and body.

Proceeds from CIGNA's campaign, which will run from now until August, will be used to send underprivileged children to YMCA summer camps in 10 cities across the nation this summer. Members of the CIGNA Running Team will also participate in fundraising leading up to the race, and will wear the gel wristbands in support of Activate America® on race day, Aug. 10, in Falmouth, Mass.

“A longstanding supporter of YMCA programs, CIGNA is pleased to team up with Activate America to promote healthy lifestyles for children across America,” said Karen S. Rohan, president of CIGNA Group Insurance, Dental and Vision. “Through the broad reach of CIGNA and the CIGNA Falmouth Road Race, our goal is to help America and its youth get more active and develop healthy habits that last a life time.”

More than 50 percent of U.S. adults do not get enough physical activity to make a difference in their health¹. What’s more, children in the United States are less fit than they were a generation ago. Many are showing early signs of cardiovascular risk factors such as physical inactivity, excess weight, higher blood cholesterol and cigarette smoking².

“The YMCA and CIGNA share a common goal to influence and motivate individuals to make positive changes in their pursuit of well-being,” said Neil Nicoll, president and CEO of YMCA of the USA. “We are very grateful to CIGNA employees for showing their support of Activate America in such a tangible way. Their participation in this campaign will help kids all over the country, who might not otherwise be able to, reap the positive benefits of a YMCA summer camp experience.”

The annual CIGNA Falmouth Road Race began in 1972 and is one of the elite events in distance running and annually attracts many of the best athletes in the world. The CIGNA Running Team includes CIGNA employees, partners, customers and representatives from community groups who all have a mutual goal of promoting the message of health and well-being, and helping others to reach their own personal best.

To learn more about the CIGNA Falmouth Road Race, visit CIGNA's website at www.cigna.com/falmouthroadrace.

About CIGNA

CIGNA Corporation (NYSE:CI) and its subsidiaries, with total assets of $44 billion and an employee base of approximately 26,500, constitutes one of the largest publicly-owned employee benefits organizations in the United States and throughout the world. Its subsidiaries are major providers of employee benefits offered through the workplace, with products and services including health care, group life, accident and disability insurance, dental, vision, behavioral health, and pharmacy.

About The YMCA: A Long-Standing Commitment To Health Of Spirit, Mind And Body

The nation’s 2,663 YMCAs serve nearly 20.2 million people each year, including 9.4 million children under the age of 18. Through a variety of programs and services focused on the holistic development of children and youth, health and well-being for all and family strengthening, YMCAs unite men, women and children of all ages, faiths, backgrounds, abilities and income levels. From urban areas to small towns, YMCAs have proudly served America’s communities for nearly 160 years by building healthy spirit, mind and body for all. Visit www.ymca.net to find your local YMCA.

¹ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Surveillance Summaries, December 2, 2005. MMWR 2005:54(47);1208-1212.

² Children's Need for Physical Activity: Fact Sheet, American Heart Association