Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Associates Volunteer to Help Ohio Organizations in Need During First Community Service Day

MASON, Ohio, April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Approximately 350 Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio associates and their friends and families joined forces to participate in the parent company's first national Community Service Day on Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27. Through their efforts, Anthem helped support the following organizations throughout the state:

-- The City of Akron Recreation Bureau
-- Hospice of North Central Ohio (Ashland)
-- Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Athens County
-- Joy Outdoor Education Center's Camp Joy (Clarksville)
-- Keep Columbus Beautiful
-- Salvation Army Citadel Worship Center (Columbus)
-- Salvation Army Chapel at Worthington Woods
-- Samaritan Homeless Clinic (Dayton)
-- Lake Metroparks (Kirtland)
-- West Ohio Food Bank (Lima)
-- Mount Healthy Family Clinic
-- Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank
-- Warren County Abuse & Rape Crisis Center
-- Second Harvest Food Bank (Youngstown)
-- YMCA Youth Day of Caring (Youngstown)
-- March for Babies (Bethel, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton,
Lima, Toledo and Youngstown)

"Many of us who choose careers in health care or work for a health services organization have made a special commitment to improve the lives of others," said Erin Hoeflinger, President, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio. "Through Community Service Day we partnered with organizations such as the United Way to bring to our neighborhoods the caring attitude we exhibit in our 'day jobs,' to make a difference in the lives of people."

Coinciding with Points of Light & Hands On Network's National Volunteer Week, Anthem in Ohio associates participated in many activities, including assisting with the March of Dimes "March for Babies" in eight cities; helping the Joy Outdoor Education Center make Camp Joy in Clarksville, Ohio, a more accessible place for children with medical needs; picking up litter for "Keep Columbus Beautiful;" cleaning and painting the lobby and patient rooms and organizing supply closets at the Mount Healthy Family Clinic; and cleaning and washing windows at Hospice of North Central Ohio.

"We couldn't have been more thrilled to have nearly 70 Anthem associates join us at Camp Joy for a half day of volunteer efforts," said Elliott Blodgett, Youth & Community Leadership Associate Program Director for Joy Outdoor Education Center. "Among other things, they helped build a wheelchair ramp at the camp's pond dock as well as one needed for a leadership cabin that will help make Joy a more inclusive center. Both the Anthem volunteers and our staff had an enjoyable and productive day."

In 2007, the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation also granted $840,000 to community organizations in Ohio and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield gifted nearly $500,000 to civic and charitable organizations through its community relations support. Through Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield's associate giving campaign, with a 50 percent match from the Foundation, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield associates in Ohio pledged more than $2.2 million to help non profit organizations throughout the state.

About Anthem

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Community Insurance Company, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. (R)ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio is available at www.anthem.com .

About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation

Through charitable grant making, the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation promotes Anthem's inherent commitment to enhance the health and well-being of individuals and families in communities that Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield serves. The Foundation focuses its funding on strategic initiatives that address and provide innovative solutions to reduce the number of uninsured as well as organizations and nonprofit charities that promote the Healthy Generations Program, a multi-generational initiative that targets specific disease states and medical conditions. These 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 annual associate giving campaign and provides a 50 percent match of associates' campaign pledges. The Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation is an affiliate of the WellPoint Foundation. To learn more about the WellPoint Foundation please visit www.wellpointfoundation.org .

Media Contact: Kim Ashley (513) 682-8863

Kim.Ashley@anthem.com

PRNewswire -- April 28
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Source: Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio

Web site: http://www.anthem.com/
http://www.wellpointfoundation.org/

2008-04-28 17:42:48 0346987 PRNEWSWIRE