Blue Cross And Blue Shield Of Kansas Foundation Donates $53,371 To Schools Through Healthy Habits For Life Grant Program

December 31, 2009

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Foundation distributed its largest number of Healthy Habits for Life grants during a single giving cycle as 56 grant checks totaling $53,371.42 were recently mailed to school nurses to fund programs during the 2009-2010 academic year. The school nurses receiving the Healthy Habits for Life grants will use the funds to provide programs that help Kansas children reduce their cardiovascular risk, increase their physical activity or learn healthy eating habits.

Since 2006, the Healthy Habits for Life grant program has disbursed more than $162,000 in grants. Healthy Habits for Life grant dollars touch not only thousands of Kansas children each school year, but also their families and communities, according to Marlou Wegener, chief operating officer of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Foundation.

“Collectively, the applications for this year’s Healthy Habits for Life giving cycle illustrated that school nurses are being creative in developing healthy activities and educational programs that will impact a large number of students while being as cost-effective as possible,” Wegener said. “The Foundation’s board recognizes that many school districts are challenged to maintain funding for the most basic of educational programs, and was pleased to help additional school nurses provide important health programs by distributing more Healthy Habits for Life dollars than it had originally planned.”

The renewal of the grant program was announced July 2009 in Wichita during the 20th 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).

About The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Foundation
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.