Community involvement

Working to make a healthy difference

As the state’s oldest, largest and most-trusted nonprofit health plan, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota welcomes the opportunity and responsibility to improve the health of Minnesotans and their communities.

It’s part of our heritage. Blue Cross was chartered in 1933 as Minnesota’s first and only nonprofit health plan. And we continue to carry out our mission to make a healthy difference in people’s lives.

Together with the Blue Cross Foundation  and Prevention Minnesota , we develop initiatives that raise awareness about Minnesota’s leading health concerns, and we create solutions to help address these issues. Visit our public policy section to learn more about the issues.

Employee giving – the heart of our community involvement

Heart of Blue, our employee-led volunteer and giving program , is an important way in which we work to meet our mission. Approximately 80 percent of Blue Cross employees volunteer in the community.

In recognition of our commitment to philanthropy and volunteerism, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota was selected as the sole Minnesota organization to receive a national Jefferson Award in 2009.

Employee giving and volunteering: Better Together

Employees at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota have a proud history of caring for the communities in which we live and work. We’re passionate about our mission of making a healthy difference in people’s lives.

That’s why we created our Heart of Blue Program (PDF) to support employees who give their time, talent and resources to nonprofit community organizations. The Heart of Blue program was recognized by the State of Minnesota for outstanding commitment to community service, proclaiming April 19, 2012, Heart of Blue Day.

Innovation is encouraged

Blue Cross not only supports employee volunteerism and giving through company sponsored activities, we also support our employees as intrapreneurs (entrepreneurs within), encouraging employees who are innovative in initiating new ways to serve the community.

One example of such intrapreneurship is our Blue Cross Community Giving Garden, an onsite garden providing fresh produce to hungry people in our community. Interested? Learn how our Blue Cross Giving Garden (PDF), now a catalyst for a network of 15 Minnesota corporate giving gardens, can be replicated in your community.

The following are just a few of our employees’ accomplishments. For more information, see the Heart of Blue Community Involvement Report (PDF).

Recent contributions: For the health of all

Each year, Blue Cross employees contribute thousands of hours and dollars to community projects and nonprofit organizations through Heart of Blue. In 2012 their time, talent and resources supported nonprofits that:

• Promote a healthy lifestyle
• Fight hunger
• Support families, youth and seniors
• Improve our communities

2012 highlights include:

• Community Giving Campaign — The annual workplace campaign raised more than $950,000 for hundreds of nonprofits. These gifts include a match from the Blue Cross Foundation.
  
• Volunteer Paid Time Off — Through our Heart of Blue volunteer program, nearly half of our employees use some or all of their volunteer paid time off. Through this program, employees contributed more than 15,600 volunteer hours to Minnesota communities.
  
• Community Giving Gardens — Gardens at our Eagan and Virginia locations provided 1,350 pounds of fresh produce, all donated locally.
  
• Minnesota FoodShare Campaign — Employees contributed more than $62,000 and 9,100 pounds of food to the Minnesota FoodShare March Campaign.
  
• Heart Walk — 750 employees participated in the American Heart Association’s annual Heart Walk.
  
• Blood Drives — Employees contributed more than 500 pints of blood through on-site blood drives supporting the American Red Cross and Memorial Blood Centers.
  
• Habitat for Humanity — Nearly 200 employees contributed more than 1,400 volunteer hours to Habitat for Humanity worksites to help families become successful homeowners.
  
• Metro Paint-A-Thon — 140 employees supported local seniors in need of housing by painting and refurbishing the exterior of their homes through a partnership with Metro Paint-A-Thon.
  
• Gardening Matters — 3,000 seed packets were prepared by Blue Cross volunteers in partnership with Gardening matters, enough to support 150 inner-city families.

The Blue Cross Foundation

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation is focused on helping nonprofit organizations create healthier communities.

What we do

At the Foundation, we believe that health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease. Good health is also tied to the day-to-day conditions in which we live, work and play. That’s why we give grants and leadership support to nonprofit organizations that focus on early childhood development, housing, social connectedness and the environment.

The Foundation is the state’s largest grantmaking foundation exclusively dedicated to improving health in Minnesota. We’ve awarded more than $25 million since 1986.

Visit the Blue Cross Foundation or refer to our fact sheet (PDF) for more on our values, programs and grantees.

Videos feature grantee projects

To learn more about the Foundations’ work, you can see videos of five organizations working to improve health across the state. The videos are available at bcbsmnfoundation.org or on the Foundation’s YouTube channel .

Programs featured include:

• Carlton County Collaborative “Jump Start 4 Kindergarten,” improving children’s social and educational readiness for kindergarten through preschool programs in Cloquet and on the Fond du Lac Reservation
  
• Healthy Legacy, which improves public health by working to reduce the number of toxic chemicals in consumer products and educates consumers on healthy alternatives
  
• Mankato Area United Way “First Steps Collaborative,” which connects first-time parents to resources that help ensure the healthiest start for their children
  
• Preventing Harm Minnesota “Healthy Homes Healthy Kids,” which works to improve the quality of rental housing in the Phillips neighborhood in Minneapolis, leading to better health for residents
  
• Twin Cities Local Initiatives Support Coalition “Building Sustainable Communities,” which focuses on building social connections among residents of the Blake Road Corridor as well as providing healthier food options through a community garden
  
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Prevention Minnesota

Blue Cross launched Prevention Minnesota with the $241 million settlement from its lawsuit against the tobacco companies. The goal — tackle heart disease and cancer by addressing their root causes: tobacco use, physical inactivity and unhealthy eating.

Why? Because we all pay for poor health, both in quality of life and in dollars. A recent report revealed that investing in community-focused prevention programs could return approximately $6 for every $1 spent.*

Visit  Prevention Minnesota for more about its goals, initiatives and successes.

*Trust for America’s Health. Prevention for a Healthier America: Investments in Disease Prevention Yield Significant Savings, Stronger Communities. Washington DC: July 2008.