PROVIDENCE, RI – As part of the eighth annual Blue across Rhode Island day of service on September 13, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) partnered with local non-profit organizations at 14 volunteer project sites across the state. Teams of BCBSRI employees provided hands-on volunteer support totaling more than 3,000 hours.

“Blue Cross is committed to passionately leading a state of health and well-being across Rhode Island, and Blue across Rhode Island provides the perfect opportunity for us to directly impact Rhode Islanders, in a way that is tangible,” said BCBSRI President and CEO Kim Keck. “Working together, we can effect some of the social determinants of health that are critically tied to the health of our communities - things like food security, housing or access to safe physical activity.”

In addition to volunteer support, project sites received a financial contribution of $5,000 from BCBSRI to support their important work. Recognized nationally as a “Best in Class” volunteer initiative, Blue across Rhode Island has become not only a signature event for BCBSRI employees, but also an invaluable resource for the organizations it has supported over the years. Since the inaugural event in 2012, BCBSRI employees have provided more than 24,000 volunteer hours and the company has donated $380,000 in funding to nearly 60 agencies dedicated to helping Rhode Islanders live better, healthier lives. Blue across Rhode Island has made a lasting impact on the lives of more than 100,000 people throughout the state.

Central to this year’s Blue across Rhode Island day of service is the company’s 80^th anniversary and commitment to the theme: 80 Acts of Kindness – It’s What We Live For. The community-service inspired campaign encourages BCBSRI employees to expand the company’s roster of volunteer activities, and member- and community-focused initiatives to no fewer than 80 acts of kindness in 2019.

Below is a complete list of service projects receiving support:

The Confetti Foundation

The Confetti Foundation supplies extra special birthday parties to children who have to spend a birthday in the hospital. BCBSRI volunteers constructed themed birthday party kits to help more than 150 hospitalized children have a distraction from their illness and celebrate their special days.

50 Jordan Street

East Providence, RI

Edesia

Edesia provides ready-to-use therapeutic foods for children with acute malnutrition in the developing world, as well as commercial nutritional products to address issues such as nut allergies and acute illnesses. BCBSRI volunteers helped box up MeWeBaby, Edesia’s product made for families to give babies their first exposure to peanuts to reduce the onset of nut allergies. The MeWe Baby packages completed by BCBSRI will be donated to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank for low-income families.

550 Romano Vineyard Way
North Kingstown, RI.

Pawtucket Family YMCA

YMCA of Pawtucket provides meals, sports- and health-related activities, academic help, and more (often at low or no cost) for 250 children every day. BCBSRI volunteers helped refurbish a Soft Play area used by little ones and their parents and will also refresh the paint in classrooms where children complete their homework and study for school.

20 Summer Street

Pawtucket, RI 

Gotta Have Sole, Inc.

BCBSRI volunteers helped assemble and package footwear for Rhode Island children experiencing homelessness. These shoes will help provide the confidence to participate in sports, school, and social experiences alongside their peers.

39 East Bel Air Road

Cranston, RI 

Hope Alzheimer’s Center

Hope Alzheimer’s Center provides care and services for people with Alzheimer’s disease and related illnesses. BCBSRI volunteers created a special day of fun and social interaction for clients of the center with a 50s-themed sock hop. Volunteers also helped to renovate the center’s art studio to provide a creative environment for clients of the center to enjoy for years to come.

25 Brayton Avenue

Cranston, RI

Providence Housing Authority
Providence Housing Authority manages affordable housing programs for low-income neighbors, families, senior residents and people living with disabilities. BCBSRI volunteers painted a series of murals on the property, including at a playground, common outdoor entrances, hallways and stairwells.
Hartford Park

300 Hartford Avenue

Providence, RI

March of Dimes

BCBSRI volunteers assisted with activities that benefit families with a pre-term newborn in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Women and Infants Hospital. Volunteers will help give comfort to these infants and their families by creating parent care kits for parents of babies born pre-term, with opportunities to sew blankets and create Halloween costumes for the babies who will be in the NICU for their first Halloween.

101 Dudley Street

Providence, RI

Recycle-A-Bike
Recycle-A-Bike recycles, refurbishes, and redistributes donated bicycles to people who need safe, accessible transportation. They also provide programs to children to learn bicycle safety and maintenance skills. BCBSRI volunteers moved bikes to and from work spaces, built storage units, and adjusted and fixed bikes.

1911 Westminster Street

Providence, RI

“Playground Crashers” with The Children’s Workshop

BCBSRI volunteers assisted with an Outdoor Play Interventions Project (OPIP) and volunteer at an early learning center to transform their play environment. The low cost, high value, simple design interventions support children’s learning while promoting active play and exercise through additions like painting a bike/trike track, creating math activities on the pavement and garden bed maintenance.
410 Child Street

Warren, RI

#RecessRocksinRI at Waddington Elementary School

BCBSRI volunteers worked with Playworks New England to turn bare concrete into a colorful playground with assorted activity stations to increase opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play for the students at Waddington.

101 Legion Way

Riverside, RI

Rhode Island Oral Health Foundation – Rhode Island Mission of Mercy 2019
BCBSRI volunteers helped the Rhode Island Oral Health Foundation prepare for the annual Rhode Island Mission of Mercy (RI MOM) event. RI MOM is a two-day dental clinic providing free treatment to those who cannot afford dental care. Volunteers organized inventory, labeled containers and prepared forms and event supplies.

Lifespan Community Health Institute
335R Prairie Avenue, Suite 2B

Providence, RI

Rhode Island Community Food Bank
BCBSRI volunteers packed 800 meal kits that will provide food-insecure families with healthy food that they can cook right in their homes.

500 Exchange Street

Providence, RI

What Cheer Flower Farm
BCBSRI volunteers worked on the organic urban farm that provides free flowers to Rhode Islanders who are in dire and stressful situations, like housebound seniors or people who are hospitalized.
46 Atwood Street
Providence, RI

Westwood YMCA

BCBSRI volunteers refurbished the summer day camp’s indoor and outdoor spaces including painting, marking trails with interactive signs, landscaping and gardening.

2093 Harkney Hill Road

Coventry, RI