A 25-year commitment to building healthier communities

This October 1, we will celebrate a milestone that means a great deal to Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield — the 25^th anniversary of the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas.

Since its creation in 2001, the Foundation has awarded more than $70 million to projects and partnerships that are helping improve the health of Arkansans in communities throughout our state. These investments have been made directly in programs that improve health where people live, work, learn and play – programs that help prevent illness, reduce disparities and strengthen communities in ways that healthcare alone cannot.

That is a remarkable legacy, but what makes this anniversary especially meaningful to me is the impact those investments represent.

Arkansas Blue Cross recognizes that improving health requires the peace of mind that comes from providing health insurance coverage and paying the claims that result from receiving healthcare. It also requires investing in people, communities and local organizations that are doing the hard and important work of helping Arkansans live healthier lives. Healthy lives build healthy communities.

Under the leadership of Rebecca Pittillo, the Blue & You Foundation is very strategic in how it carries out its mission, with a strong focus on maternal and child health, behavioral health and social determinants of health. And through mini grants, it helps organizations move forward with health-related projects that are smaller but just as meaningful.

As we celebrate this anniversary, we are doing more than looking back. We are also listening, learning and shining a light on the people behind the impact of this work. We are recognizing the nonprofit partners, schools, hospitals, community groups and local leaders who have helped turn the Blue & You Foundation’s mission into action over the past 25 years.

Through our 25 Weeks of Gratitude storytelling series, we are sharing the Blue & You Foundation’s impact through the voices of people who have felt the positive effects of these grants firsthand. Behind every grant are people: families who found support … children who got a better start … communities who received new resources  … or Arkansans who were helped when it was needed most.

Those are the stories that bring the Blue & You Foundation’s work to life. They also are the reason this anniversary feels so meaningful.

As part of this anniversary, we also are creating opportunities to celebrate, engage and look ahead – through special grants, listening sessions and surveys that can help provide insights into the future of philanthropy in our state.

I am proud of what the Blue & You Foundation has accomplished in the past 25 years, and I am grateful to the many partners who have made that impact possible. More than anything, I am grateful for the lives that have been touched along the way.

As we celebrate this milestone, we do so with appreciation for the past, pride in the work being done today and real excitement for what the future can hold as we continue working together to create a healthier Arkansas for everyone.