Final Deadline Nears for 2007 Angel Award Nominations

June 13, 2007

June 22 is the deadline for nominations for the 2007 Angel Award, which will honor eight winners with $20,000 grants for their designated charities. Winners are recognized for outstanding volunteer efforts to improve the lives of Louisiana children.

Created in 1995 by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, the annual Angel Award program receives scores of nominations from across the state. More than 90 "angels" have been honored over the past 12 years, and more than $560,000 in grants has been awarded to the charitable causes of these past honorees. This year's winners will be celebrated at a banquet in November in Baton Rouge.

Winners may come from any part of the state and from all walks of life. Last year's honorees included a veterinarian in Shreveport who was the driving force behind a playground built to include disabled children, a Lake Charles mother who became an advocate for autistic children, and the young director of Boys Hope Girls Hope in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans.

For details on nomination criteria and to nominate an angel online, click on "Community" at www.bcbsla.com. The website also provides a searchable database of past nominees and winners. Those with questions may call toll-free 888-219-BLUE or e-mail Angel.Award@bcbsla.com.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is Louisiana-owned and -operated. Marking its 73rd anniversary this year, the company is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. It is a tax-paying mutual company, owned by its policyholders. Headquartered in Baton Rouge, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana also has district offices in Alexandria, Houma, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, New Orleans and Shreveport. The company's subsidiaries include HMO Louisiana, Inc. and Southern National Life Insurance Company, Inc. For more information, visit the company's website at www.bcbsla.com.