Ten nonprofit organizations across the state will receive $100,000 gifts in celebration of the 10-year birthday of Blue Cross and Blue Shield North Carolina Foundation, officials announced Tuesday.
The foundation's $1 million donation singles out groups that promote health and welfare, including five organizations in the Triangle.
"It just seemed the most appropriate way to [celebrate] is to reinvest and connect with the nonprofits that share our mission," said Kathy Higgins, president of the BCBSNC Foundation. Its mission, she said, is to promote "healthy eating, physical activity and access to care" across the state.
Higgins said the foundation, which is funded by health insurance giant Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, has awarded 440 grants totaling $67 million in its 10-year history.
Area recipients of the new $100,000 awards are:
Be Active Kids, a program of Be Active North Carolina in Morrisville dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles and physical activity for children.
Diabetes Management Solutions of Raleigh, which runs the Diabetes Bus Initiative, a mobile education program that visits in rural communities.
The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle in Raleigh, which partners with local restaurants and grocery stores to stem food waste and feed the hungry.
N.C. Partnership for Children, based in Raleigh, which heads up Smart Start early education programs and others that benefit families.
Student Action With Farmworkers in Durham, which works to improve conditions for farm workers and promote social change.
"We are steadfast in our commitment to cultivate healthy living in state, and are holding them up as an example of wanting to make a difference," Higgins said.
