CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) Foundation has provided more than $100,000 in grants to 21 organizations across the state. Each of the grants provides funding for equipment that will help increase physical activity in communities from Buncombe to Bertie County.
 
“We believe that investing in these organizations will help us empower North Carolinians to improve their overall health,” said Kathy Higgins, president of the BCBSNC Foundation. “These physical activity equipment grants help organizations to achieve their goal of increasing regular physical activity for all North Carolinians.”
 
The Healthy Active Communities equipment grants of up to $5,000 were prioritized for populations in rural counties or vulnerable populations in urban counties.  Additional emphasis was given to initiatives that showed a strong correlation between the equipment purchased and health gains for the target population.  
 
Some of the grants include:
  • Durham Public Schools will create an integrated, multi-use trail system for the Durham Public Schools Hub Farm in order to increase physical activity among Durham's youth.
  • The Asheville Design Center will work with families and children of Buncombe County's Pisgah View public housing community to build a safe and accessible playground for the community.
  • The Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe will Increase physical activity for the more than 2500 citizens of the Hollister Community in Halifax County with a trail to connect the community center and tribal school.
  • The Mattamuskeet Senior Center will have an expanded selection of exercise equipment for senior citizens who have mobility issues due to arthritis.
  • The Ware Creek Community Center will offer equipment and opportunities for local residents to increase physical activity in a rural community center without any nearby public recreational facilities.
  • The Mount Airy Museum of Regional History will create the first Geocaching Track Trail along the Ararat and Emily B. Taylor Greenways in Mount Airy to integrate the use of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) technologies with local history and physical education.
The 21 grantee organizations are:
  • Alexander County Partnership for Children
  • Asheville Design Center, Inc. in Buncombe County
  • Beaufort/Hyde Partnership for Children in Beaufort County
  • Bertie County YMCA, Inc.
  • Carteret County Partnership for Children
  • Total Christian Ministries Inc. in Pitt County
  • Durham Public Schools Hub Farm
  • Gates County Cooperative Extension Service
  • Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe in Halifax County
  • Hardin Park School in Watauga County
  • Mattamuskeet Senior Center in Hyde County
  • Mecklenburg Partnership for Children
  • Mount Airy Museum of Regional History Inc in Surry County
  • Partnership for Children of the Foothills in Rutherford County
  • Playworks Education Energized in Durham County
  • Town of Burgaw in Pender County
  • Trinity Church Nursery School of Trinity Episcopal Church in Halifax County
  • Troy/Montgomery Senior Center in Montgomery County
  • Union County Community Action
  • Ware Creek Community Development Program Inc in Beaufort County
  • YWCA of Asheville in Buncombe County
 
 
About BCBSNC Foundation:
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation is a separate, independent, nonprofit Foundation dedicated to improving the health and well-being of North Carolinians. The Foundation's focus areas include: Health of Vulnerable Populations - improving health outcomes of populations served by safety net organizations; Healthy Active Communities - increasing physical activity and encouraging healthy eating habits; and Community Impact through Nonprofit Excellence - increasing the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations.  BCBSNC Foundation invests in programs and services in response to grant requests and proactively creates initiatives or partners with organizations to address specific needs. It also coordinates several Signature Programs, among them, Be Active Kids® and Healthy Community Institute for Nonprofit Excellence. More information is available at www.bcbsncfoundation.org. Since its founding in 2000, the BCBSNC Foundation has invested nearly $88 million into North Carolina communities through more than 650 grants.
 
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