Organized teams of employees are spending the workday volunteering for 14 nonprofits across the state in support of food security, housing, beautification, and other programs

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Sept. 16, 2022) – Today, nearly 500 Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) employees fanned out across the state to participate in Blue across Rhode Island, an annual company-sponsored event in which employees spend their workday volunteering for community and social service agencies that touch the lives of Rhode Islanders in need.

Organized teams of employees set out first thing this morning to volunteer for one of 14 nonprofits that applied for help with their efforts to support Rhode Islanders and the communities where they live. This is the 11^th consecutive year for Blue across Rhode Island, one of the largest annual volunteer events of its kind in the state.

“We are so excited about this day! Blue across Rhode Island gives us a chance, . “to lend many hands to our community partners, who day in and day out contribute to the health and well-being of Rhode Islanders." said BCBSRI President and CEO Martha L. Wofford before embarking on a daylong tour of the many volunteer sites. “It is a great source of pride and fulfillment for our Blue Cross employees to come together to help our fellow Rhode Islanders."

BCBSRI volunteers are engaged in a variety of projects focused on helping Rhode Islanders with basic needs like food insecurity, housing, dental care, and personal hygiene supplies.

The following are the 14 participating organizations and projects that BCBSRI employees are supporting today:

• Amenity Aid: Prepare hygiene kits for 1,200 schoolchildren and 1,500 neighbors in Providence who are living in poverty or are homeless.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island: Prepare hygiene self-care kits for program youth
• Community Action Partnership of Providence County: Revitalize a community garden for seniors, organize clothing donations, paint community spaces, and assemble school backpacks for children.
• Gotta Have Sole Foundation: Organize new shoes and create and attach cards with hopeful messages to be given to homeless children.
• Habitat for Humanity of Rhode Island Greater Providence: Building new housing to help older Rhode Islanders age in place in their community.
• Habitat for Humanity of Rhode Island South County: Construct a new affordable home to help families change their lives through home ownership.
• Happy Hope Foundation: Assemble activity kits for “Happy Hope Bags" to be distributed to provide “a boost of happiness."
• Hope Alzheimer’s Center: Hosting a fun “Viva Las Vegas" event for center participants as well as planting and refreshing the center for fall.
• James L. Maher Center: Assist in creation of a coffee shop for the Middletown center’s learning community for people with developmental disabilities.
• Playworks New England: Transform an elementary school’s blacktop into a fun, creative space for children as part of Recess Rocks in Rhode Island.
• Rhode Island Community Food Bank: Sort fresh produce and assemble meal boxes to be distributed to seniors and students across Rhode Island.
• Rhode Island Oral Health Foundation: Prepare supplies and materials for upcoming free dental clinic Sept. 24-25.
• The Confetti Foundation: Create birthday banners for parties to be held for children hospitalized during their birthday.
• The Elisha Project: Assemble 1,000 food and supply boxes for people in need.

In addition to the time and effort of volunteers, BCBSRI awards each partner organization $5,000 in grant funding.

Since the launch of Blue across Rhode Island in 2012, $677,000 in funding has been distributed to 74 organizations across the state and employees have logged more than 32,000 volunteer hours. These projects have had an impact on the lives of more than 149,000 Rhode Islanders.

BCBSRI, since its founding, has partnered with community organizations across the state through philanthropy, partnership and service. For nearly 20 years we have done so under the banner of BlueAngel Community Investment, BCBSRI’s multifaceted corporate social responsibility program, which includes Blue across Rhode Island.