Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation Delivers 250 Pairs of Running Sneakers to Boys & Girls Club of Manchester

MANCHESTER, N.H., January 24, 2017 /3BL Media/ -- Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New Hampshire associates delivered 250 pairs of brand new running sneakers to the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester. Made possible by the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, the shoes will be provided to the Club Kids free of charge and act as an incentive for them to engage in exercise.

“We are incredibly excited about this gift to the Boys & Girls Club,” said Lisa Guertin, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. “The Club does a tremendous job of mentoring kids and we are proud to continue supporting those efforts. Hopefully this will put more kids on a path to fitness and help instill a lifelong love of exercise.”

The donation is a collaborative effort between the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation and the Two Ten Footwear Foundation. Two Ten Footwear is the national charitable foundation of the U.S. footwear industry and through its annual Footwear Cares program helps children by distributing new shoes and hosting events, programs and activities that will benefit some of the most vulnerable in our communities.

“We are both thrilled and honored to collaborate with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation on this important program,” said Neal Newman, President of the Two Ten Footwear Foundation. “Helping disadvantaged children in our communities is central to our national Footwear Cares initiative, and we are proud to kick off our 2017 campaign by supporting the kids at the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester.”

The Boys & Girls Club of Manchester was incorporated in 1907 and currently serves about 550 kids a day from across the city providing educational support, meals and physical activity. The sneakers will also be distributed through a “shoe pantry” at the Club for those kids who need a new pair of shoes.

“We are so grateful to Anthem and the Two Ten Foundation for being incredible partners and for providing the basic necessity of shoes to our kids. We have been strengthening our health programs this past year with the addition of a fitness center and running club, and the new shoe pantry takes our care for kids to a higher level,” said Diane Fitzpatrick, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester.

About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation
Through charitable grant making, the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation LLC, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, 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 health care challenges, as well as promoting 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 Associate Giving program which provides a 50 percent match of associates’ campaign pledges, as well as its Volunteer Time Off and Dollars for Doers community service programs. ®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 and Blue Shield Association.

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