March 11, 2011
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Foundation Donates $108,066 to Schools Through Healthy Habits for Life Grant Program
In an effort to encourage more Kansas children to adopt healthy habits, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Foundation decided to make additional Healthy Habits for Life grant dollars available for the 2010-2011 giving cycle and reached out to a larger group of potential grantees. These efforts resulted in the distribution of 112 grants totaling $108,066.90 to assist school nurses, physical education teachers, other teachers and administrators in developing programs to help school-aged children reduce their cardiovascular risk, increase their physical activity or learn healthy eating habits.
“The response to our most recent call for grant applications was fantastic and showed the tremendous commitment that our Kansas school nurses, teachers and administrators have to helping our children develop today the healthy habits that will follow them for a lifetime,” said Marlou Wegener, chief operating officer of the BCBSKS Foundation. “School personnel are at the forefront of finding solutions to lower the incidence of childhood obesity in Kansas, and the Foundation is pleased to provide them funding to help in those efforts.”
The BCBSKS Foundation has now distributed 283 Healthy Habits for Life grants in excess of $270,000 through five giving cycles. Wegener said the reach of those dollars goes beyond the thousands of school-age children that have received programs because of the funding.
“Healthy Habits for Life grant dollars touch not only thousands of Kansas children each school year, but also their family members and communities,” Wegener said. “A number of the grantees develop programs which encourage family participation with the student while others look to include their communities on a larger scale. There are numerous benefits – both short-term and long-term – to be realized by Kansans if we work together to improve the collective health of all our residents.“
The renewal of the grant program was announced July 2010 in Wichita during the 21st 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 school district or private school must be located in the service area of the BCBSKS Foundation (all Kansas counties except Johnson and Wyandotte).
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Foundation and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas are independent licensees 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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