BCBSNC in the Community

Our vision is to be a leader in improving the health care system in North Carolina.

This commitment to North Carolina extends beyond service to our 3.7 million members and into the communities across the state, where we promote improved health and well-being through our employee volunteer programs, financial support and involvement with local nonprofit groups.

We are also proud to have founded and to continue to support the separate and independent BCBSNC Foundation which, since 2000, has invested more than $69 million and supported more than 495 grants and special initiatives in communities across North Carolina.

Employees giving back

Since 1997, BCBSNC employees have logged more than 265,000 volunteer hours. Nearly 95 percent of our corporate officers participate in volunteerism and community outreach programs.

BCBSNC employees also participate in regularly scheduled blood drives, organize fundraisers to support local nonprofit groups, participate in hands-on volunteer projects and make donations to company-sponsored food and back-to-school drives.

In 2010, our employees:

• Built a KaBOOM! playground (in one day's time) to benefit the more than 600 children of a downtown Durham neighborhood.
• Worked together (400 employees strong) to make home ownership a reality for a family through our third Habitat for Humanity build in the last three years.
• Gathered in Charlotte to volunteer as part of a one-day mass free clinic that provided medical and dental care to more than 1,100 uninsured area residents.
• Donated more than 500 units of blood to the American Red Cross.
• Contributed enough food to provide 10,000 meals to area food programs
• Raised money to aid Haitian earthquake relief and hit the pavement in support of the American Diabetes Association, Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the March of Dimes
• Teamed with BCBSNC to donate more than $800,000 to the United Way. BCBSNC and its employees have contributed more than $9.2 million over the past 12 years.

Community Partnerships

Our impact in local communities is broadened through collaborations with organizations which share our commitment to a healthier North Carolina.

Nourishing North Carolina is a statewide community garden program making local, healthy food more accessible to people across the state. Nourishing North Carolina will provide resources to create or enhance existing community gardens in all 100 North Carolina counties by the end of 2013. The program is a partnership with NC Recreation and Park Association and will ultimately provide North Carolina communities with 190,000 pounds of produce, allowing communities to enhance nutritional value to nearly 150,000 meals.

Click here for more information. To find a community garden near you, please click here.

Strive to Revive
In 2010, we extended our support of heart health by creating and leading Strive to Revive (STR), an initiative designed to increase the chance of survival of sudden cardiac arrest patients through training and bystander intervention. STR made 20 Automated External Defibrillators (AED) available to Charlotte area places of worship, specifically targeting those that serve populations at risk of poor health, particularly for heart problems and related diseases. Strive to Revive is a collaboration of 11 North Carolina organizations and supports The Lucky Hearts Campaign - a public education collaborative of the Mecklenburg EMS Agency and Mecklenburg Medical Alliance and Endowment.

The V Foundation for Cancer Research
For the past 16 years, BCBSNC has proudly supported the Jimmy V Celebrity Golf Classic and the V Foundation in raising money to fund cancer research. Since 1993, The V Foundation has raised more than $100 million and awarded cancer research grants in 38 states and the District of Columbia. We are hopeful research enabled by our partnership with the V Foundation will be instrumental in achieving Jim Valvano's ultimate goal of finding a cure.

United Way
BCBSNC is a long-time supporter of the United Way through both financial contributions and employee involvement. In 2010, the company and its employees collaborated to contribute $800,625 to the United Way, much of which was designated for the Community Care Fund, directly supporting organizations working in local communities.

In recent years, BCBSNC has also partnered with the United Way's Teaming for Technology Program, donating $165,000 in computers for low-income families with children and individuals with disabilities in North Carolina.