Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation and Plan Associates Pledge $2.2 Million to Community Organizatio...( Statewide Not-for-Profit Organizati...),Health

Statewide Not-for-Profit Organizations to Receive Support from Associate

Giving, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation

MASON, Ohio, Nov. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield today announced that its associates have pledged $1.5 million to support not- for-profit organizations in Ohio for 2008 as part of the company's Associate Giving Campaign.

"The generosity shown by our associates during this campaign highlights their integrity and commitment to improving the communities where they live and work," said Chuck Slater, president and general manager, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio. "I am grateful for the incredible generosity of our associates and am proud that we are living the mission of our organization."

The funds pledged by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield associates will receive a 50 percent match from the WellPoint Foundation, the parent foundation of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation, increasing the total to more than $2.2 million. These funds will help hundreds of not-for- profit organizations throughout Ohio fulfill their missions, including the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, American Red Cross, Big Brothers & Sisters, Child Abuse Prevention Council, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Habitat For Humanity, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Toys For Tots, and the United Way.

The WellPoint Foundation is one of the nation's largest corporate foundations with net assets of nearly $200 million. Across the country, associates of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield parent company, WellPoint, Inc., pledged more than $15 million, surpassing the national goal of $13.8 million. The 50 percent match from the WellPoint Foundation will raise the total to more than $23 million.

During 2007, the WellPoint Foundation and its subsidiary state foundations funded $20 million in grants to numerous programs across the countr
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