Community Involvement

At Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, our concern for the communities where we live and work is a natural extension of our commitment to our customers and to building relationships with health care providers across the state. Our dedication to working alongside local organizations to improve the well-being of those in need has been an important part of our heritage since the very beginning.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas is honored to call Texas home — from Amarillo to Harlingen, Beaumont to El Paso, and Marshall to Midland — and we believe it is not only part of our heritage, but also part of our future that we seek to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Our community outreach activities include:

Corporate Contributions

Since its founding over 70 years ago, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) has made a commitment to core values which include community support and active volunteerism. Today, our commitment to those core values are expressed through a variety of outreach efforts, from employee volunteers who participate in our Blue Corps team, to financial support/sponsorship of successful health initiatives in the communities where we live, work and do business. Around the state, BCBSTX takes pride in reaching out to community partners to keep our commitment to giving and improving the well-being of Texans. Learn more.

OrganWise Guys

The OrganWise Guys (OWG) is a dynamic, interactive, school-based program that uses creative characters based on the organs of the body to incite young children to take charge of their health. The programs are based on promoting four basic lifestyle habits: maintaining a low-fat diet, eating high-fiber foods, drinking lots of water, and engaging in regular exercise; as these are the building blocks of sound preventive health habits.

Elementary School Core Kits are science-based, curriculum-linked nutrition and physical activity materials strategically assembled to provide a progressive stream of lessons as students matriculate through elementary school.

WISERCISE! is a classroom-based supplemental lesson designed to get children moving while remaining on task with academic core curriculum objectives. Grade-specific, companion activity books are also used to reinforce lesson learned in the materials.

Marathon Kids

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas is proud to support the Marathon Kids® program in the greater Austin, Dallas and Houston areas. This free, six-month running/walking and nutrition program helps kids who are most vulnerable to childhood obesity, K–5th graders, increase their physical activity (walking/running a total of 26.2 miles in small increments in a six month period) and make healthy eating choices for a lifetime. Learn more .

Ballet Austin's Night of Community

Through the support of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, Ballet Austin welcomes Central Texas non-profit and social service agencies and their clients to join us for Ballet Austin's final dress rehearsal of each production. Children, adults and friends of those in need join us and experience a full ballet production. Each year, more than 9,500 guests attend these performances at no charge. Who attends Ballet Austin's Night of Community? Learn more .

Hard Hats for Little Heads

To date, more than 40,000 Texas children have received helmets through Hard Hats for Little Heads. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas was the major supporter of Hard Hats for Little Heads in 2007 when 11,000 helmets were distributed to kids. Learn more .

Blue Corp Employee Volunteers

One of the key ways Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas shares responsibility for the well-being of the communities where we live, work and do business is through our employees who volunteer their service. In 2007, 283 employees across Texas volunteered 5,291 hours of their personal time to support 40 different community partners, helping to fill the gap in health care, education, and social services for the underprivileged.

Speak Out For Kids 5K

Speak Up for Kids will raise funds and friends for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate™) volunteers who speak up for abused and neglected children. This spring, 5K events will be hosted by local CASA programs in about 12 locations, including San Marcos, San Antonio, Lubbock, Nacogdoches, Palestine, Amarillo, Wichita Falls, Corpus Christi, Austin, Waco and Beaumont. Learn more .

Texas Round-Up and Governor's Challenge

Every January, Governor Rick Perry and Texas Round-Up challenge adults to engage in at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week (300 minutes/week for children under 18) for six weeks. As a proud sponsor of the 7th annual Texas Round-Up 5K/10K/Family Mile Race, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) accepts the Governor’s Challenge and we encourage our fellow Texans to do the same.

To learn more about the 5K/10K/Family Mile Race, visit www.texasroundup.org .

Texans of all ages can get involved in the Governor's Challenge. Learn more at www.bcbstx.com/employer/texas_roundup.htm .