More than 4,200 Kids at Six Boys & Girls Clubs in King County Now Have Access to New and Enhanced Health Programs
Programs include community gardens, fitness equipment, healthy foods and nutrition education programs / Funded by a $74,000 donation by UnitedHealthcare
SEATTLE, October 23, 2015 /3BL Media/ – More than 4,200 kids at six Boys & Girls Clubs in King County (BGCKC) will now have access to new and enhanced health and fitness programs.
UnitedHealthcare is providing $74,000 to support creation and expansion of community gardens, nutrition-education programming, and the purchase of new fitness supplies and equipment, and about 60,000 hot and healthy meals for club members over the next year. Funding from UnitedHealthcare was generated through its participation in CBS EcoMedia’s WellnessAd program.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County to inspire children to participate in healthy activities and make good food choices – two habits that can last a lifetime,” said Doug Bowes, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Washington, which provides free Boys & Girls Club memberships for people enrolled in its Medicaid health plan.
BGCKC strives to support youth in three core areas: academic success, healthy lifestyles, and good character & citizenship. UnitedHealthcare’s funding of BGCKC’s “healthy lifestyles” core area helps establish programs in diverse, high-need communities and address some of the root causes of obesity such as food insecurity, and limited access to green and recreational space.
“We are so pleased to receive support from UnitedHealthcare,” said Calvin L. Lyons, President/CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of King County. “We appreciate their support in our efforts to educate and feed our Club members. This funding will provide an opportunity for those we serve to learn how to grow food, prepare it and understand its nutritional value while receiving hot meals to support their daily health and well-being.”
To celebrate, UnitedHealthcare employees are volunteering today to help build the new UnitedHealthcare-funded community garden at BGCKC’s Southwest Club. Employee volunteers will also help with “International Cuisine Night,” which will include nutritious food and cooking demonstrations that promote healthy lifestyles for Club members and their families.
“Children who learn healthy habits lower their risk of chronic disease and lay the foundation for happy and productive lives,” said Paul Polizzotto, president and founder of CBS EcoMedia. “Through our WellnessAd Program we empower kids – and their grown-ups, too – to do just that. We’re grateful to UnitedHealthcare and Boys & Girls Clubs of King County for the collaborative effort that’s bringing community gardening and new opportunities for physical activity and healthy eating to youth in the Seattle area.”
This project is the latest in UnitedHealthcare’s “Do Good. Live Well.” employee volunteer initiative, whose mission is to inspire service and encourage volunteerism. For more information about the benefits of volunteering and to find local opportunities to get involved, visit www.DoGoodLiveWell.org. Follow @DoGoodLiveWell on Twitter or “like” Do Good. Live Well. on Facebook.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, military service members, retirees and their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 850,000 physicians and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @myUHC on Twitter.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of King County
Boys & Girls Clubs of King County exists to inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. With 12 Clubs, 2 Teen Centers and 27 child care and early learning sites, the organization is one of the largest of its kind in the nation, serving more than 17,000 members annually. Program areas offered to youth include character and leadership development, education and career development, health and life skills, the arts, computer training and sports/fitness/recreation opportunities. For more information, visit www.positiveplace.org.
About CBS EcoMedia Inc.
At EcoMedia, we’re propelled by the desire to create positive social change; that’s been our mission since we founded the company in 2002. In 2010, after successfully partnering with CBS on a wide range of environmental projects, EcoMedia became the newest addition to the CBS Corporation portfolio, exponentially scaling our reach across television, radio, interactive, publishing and outdoor media.
Through our patent-pending EcoAd, WellnessAd and EducationAd programs, an innovative twist on traditional advertising, advertisers are able to support much-needed local projects which in turn creates jobs, saves taxpayer money and improves the quality of life in communities nationwide. In the process, we’re fundamentally altering the advertising landscape, elevating the ordinary, traditional commercial – and media, in general – into a catalyst for tangible, quantifiable social change. Please visit ecomediacbs.com, like us at facebook.com/EcoMediaCBS or follow us at Twitter.com/EcoMediaCBS.
By participating in EcoMedia’s EcoAd, WellnessAd and EducationAd advertising programs, EcoMedia’s advertisers agree to provide funding for projects we believe will have a beneficial effect upon the environment, health and/or education within local communities. EcoMedia’s advertising programs are not certification programs nor are the EcoAd, WellnessAd or EducationAd logos seals of approval. EcoMedia does not in any way certify, endorse or make any representations about EcoMedia program advertisers, their products or services.
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Press Contacts:
Theresa Schieber, CBS EcoMedia
Theresa.schieber@ecomediacbs.com
212-975-3471
Courtney Johnson, UnitedHealthcare
612-702-7703
Courtney_T_Johnson@uhc.com
Jennifer Parsons, Boys & Girls Clubs of King County
jparsons@positiveplace.org
206-436-1830
