Community Feature
Giving back
HealthLink is a committed partner
to the communities it serves
Left: Associates and their families
plant flowers at the Mary Ryder Home
in St. Louis. Right: Volunteers pack
food boxes for local families at the
St. Louis Area Food Bank.
H
ealthLink and its parent company
WellPoint are committed to
health and wellness both inside
and outside their walls. They
support a wide variety of organizations
and causes, many of which are close to the
hearts of their employees, says Rebecca Swip,
program administrator at HealthLink.
“When selecting a cause, it is usually
brought to our attention by an associate who
is involved with it,” says Swip. “We also like
to support causes if an employee is a board
member of the organization. We partner with
organizations whose missions align closely
with our Healthy Generations model.”
Some of the many causes and
organizations HealthLink supports include:
• Girls on the Run is a learning program
for 8- to 13-year-old girls that teaches
life skills through conversation-based
lessons and running games. The program
culminates with a celebratory 5K event.
HealthLink team members participate
in Girls on the Run events as coaches,
volunteers and cheer teams in St. Louis,
and the company sponsors the Springfield,
Ill., program and 5K race.
• In 2014, HealthLink raised more
than $7,000 for the American Lung
Association’s Fight for Air Climb: Master
the Met, a 40-story climb at Metropolitan
Square in St. Louis. HealthLink
employees both participated in and
helped organize the event. In addition,
WellPoint donated $1.5 million to the
association’s Freedom from Smoking
campaign over a two-year period.
• The American Heart Association’s
National Wear Red Day raises awareness
of cardiovascular disease in women. On
the first Friday in February, HealthLink
employees join with millions of others
across the nation to wear red and raise
money for the organization. In 2013,
HealthLink associates raised $845 through
a bake sale and collection of donations.
Employees also participated in the Heart
Walk, the association’s premiere event for
raising funds to save lives.
• HealthLink sponsors the Dancing with
the Stars fundraiser, which raises money
for Independence Center, a nonprofit
organization that supports St. Louis-area
adults with mental illnesses.
HealthLink strongly advocates for
employee involvement in these and other
community organizations and supports
that commitment by matching both time
and money. On Jan. 1, WellPoint launched
“Dollars for Doers,” a program in which
employees can volunteer at a nonprofit of
their choice. As volunteer time accrues,
associates can apply for a matching grant
from their parent company foundation.
Employees are also granted up to eight hours
per year allotted to volunteerism.
“More associates have become involved
in the community since we promoted
this program,” Swip says. “It’s an excellent
opportunity for both our company and
employees.” :
For a current listing of HealthLink community support, visit www.healthlink.
com/healthlink_in_the_community.asp.
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