February 21, 2007
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Foundation Donates $33,700 to Schools Through Healthy Habits for Life Grant Program
Thirty-eight school nurses from across the state are using grants that they received from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Foundation to promote healthy lifestyle choices to their school-aged children. The foundation has donated $33,751.30 through Healthy Habits for Life, its first major grant program.
“Originally, the foundation’s plan was to give a total of $25,000 in grants but we received so many outstanding applications that the board of directors approved additional monies so we could meet all requests,” said Graham Bailey, chief operating officer of the foundation. “It was rewarding to see that so many school nurses are interested in helping Kansas kids reduce their cardiovascular risk, increase their physical activity or learn healthy eating habits; they just need financial resources to bring programs to their schools.”
The grant program was announced July 2006 in Wichita during the 17th Annual Statewide Conference of the Kansas School Nurse Organization (KSNO). The amount of each grant was based on the applicant’s request for the program he or she proposed, up to a maximum of $1,000. The tax-exempt school district or private school must be located in the service area of the BCBSKS Foundation (all Kansas counties except Johnson and Wyandotte).
“Childhood obesity is of increasing concern in our state,” Bailey said. “The foundation believes that the good health habits instilled in our children today will carry over into their adult lives. We are pleased that the KSNO endorsed the Healthy Habits for Life grant program and worked with us to help lay a foundation for a healthier Kansas population in the future.”
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. BCBSKS is the state's largest health insurer, serving all Kansas counties except Johnson and Wyandotte.
See the list of all Healthy Habit for Life grant recipients listed by USD number.
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