Did you know?
As Pennsylvania’s leading health insurer, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield’s vision is to ensure all members of the community have access to affordable, quality health care, enabling them to live longer, healthier lives.
Highmark supports the communities where its members live and work through employee volunteerism, corporate giving and community programming. Last year in northwestern Pa., the company’s corporate giving amounted to nearly $1 million for 181 nonprofit organizations.
Highmark also hosts the annual Walk for a Healthy Community, an event that raises funds for local health and human service agencies. The company underwrites the cost so that 100 percent of the money raised by walkers goes directly to support the participating organizations. Last year, more than 2,500 walkers raised $81,000 for 26 local nonprofits in the Erie region.
Throughout the state, the Highmark Foundation, a charitable organization and private foundation funded solely by Highmark Inc., has strived to provide new and innovative approaches to address the childhood obesity epidemic. The Highmark Healthy High 5 School Challenge grant program supports schools that offer programs fostering healthier, more successful students. Through the program last year in northwestern, PA, Highmark Healthy High 5 awarded 83 grants to schools totaling $770,595 for innovative proposals within the topic areas of nutrition and physical activity.
Highmark also offers additional support to the northwestern Pa. community through its Highmark Caring Place facility, a Center for Grieving Children, Adolescents and their Families; event sponsorships, programmatic grants, employee volunteers and the matching gifts program.
Recently, Highmark was acknowledged for its generous contributions to the community by receiving three prestigious awards:
• 2011 Business Partner Award—presented to Highmark Inc.
• 2010 Philanthropic Foundation of the Year Award—presented to the Highmark Foundation
• 2010 Corporate Hero—presented by the American Red Cross, Greater Erie County Chapter to Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield
