Paducah Boys & Girls Club, Anthem Foundation Partner to Serve Kids In New Ways During COVID-19 Crisis
$110,000 grant helps Boys & Girls Clubs go virtual, provide supplemental meals and staff new projects
PADUCAH, Ky. (April 23, 2020) – The Anthem Foundation announced today that it is directing $110,000 to support five Kentucky Boys & Girls Clubs in Paducah, Louisville and Harlan in their efforts to offer youth programming for 6-9 year-olds and provide meals for 6-18 year-olds during the COVID-19 health crisis.
Boys & Girls Clubs across the state have been forced to quickly transition their vital services to Kentucky’s youth, but their goal remains the same: providing the Bluegrass State’s youth with a safe haven in which their minds and bodies can flourish.
Clubs receiving funding from the Anthem Foundation include:
- Paducah, Ky.: Oscar Cross Boys & Girls Club
- Louisville, Ky.: Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana’s Parkland, Newburg and Shawnee clubs
- Harlan, Ky.: Cawood Ledford Boys & Girls Club
“Like many of our families and friends in Paducah, our club experienced COVID-19’s impact on our society,” said Oscar Cross Boys & Girls Club Chief Executive Officer Neal Clark. “Our mindset is that although we face difficult challenges, this is an opportunity to make a greater impact on our community; thus better servicing the families that need us the most.”
Oscar Cross Boys & Girls Club is using Anthem Foundation funding to support its MAPS (Middle Schoolers Academic Pathways to Success) Program, providing tablet computers to kids so that they may participate in the club’s virtual programming and allowing them to gain access to their school work while they are home during the pandemic.
The program is centered on addressing barriers that contribute to poor academic performance. MAPS consist of five nonfunded evidence-based programs offered by the BGCA that were tested, proven and nationally recognized. The curriculum supports known quality practices and provides age specific programming to address issues that are prevalent to a particular person, grade, or group of teens.
Simultaneously, the structure provides avenues of exploration for both academic and career interests. These objectives support their transition into the 9th grade because a roadmap of their future is created, thus allowing them to be more knowledgeable about their academic and career goals. The program design was created by an extensive literature review that identified key elements for building the skills, knowledge and attitudes young people need to succeed in high school.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is cause for all of us to do everything possible to ensure healthier lives and communities,” said Leon Lamoreaux, Medicaid president for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Kentucky. “Boys and Girls Club programming and services are critical during this time and the creativity and dedication their staffs are showing is inspiring. We’re proud to support their work.”
About Oscar Cross Boys & Girls Club
The Oscar Cross Boys and Girls Club of Paducah has been a vital force in the Paducah-McCracken County community for over sixty years. Upon affiliation with the National Boys and Girls Club of America in 1953 the Junior Legion Club became the Boys Club of Paducah. As the years went by more and more youth both male and eventually female became active members and were introduced to ideals of good character, academic achievement, and citizenship. The Oscar Cross Boys and Girls Club has a proud tradition of developing boys and girls into well-rounded adults and productive, responsible citizens. Over the years the club has adapted to meet the changing needs of youth in a changing and increasingly hazardous society. The Oscar Cross Boys & Girls Club has developed solutions and alternatives to many of the pressures and problems today’s kids and teens face.
About Anthem Foundation
The Anthem Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Anthem, Inc. and through charitable contributions and programs, the Foundation promotes the inherent commitment of Anthem, Inc. to enhance the health and well-being of individuals and families in communities that Anthem, Inc. and its affiliated health plans serve. The Foundation focuses its funding on strategic initiatives that make up its Healthy Generations Program, a multi-generational initiative that targets: maternal health, diabetes prevention, cancer prevention, heart health and healthy, active lifestyles, behavioral health efforts and programs that benefit people with disabilities. The Foundation also coordinates the company’s year-round Dollars for Dollars program which provides a 100 percent match of associates’ donations, as well as its Volunteer Time Off and Dollars for Doers community service programs. To learn more about the Anthem Foundation, please visit http://www.anthem.foundation and its blog at https://medium.com/anthemfoundation.
Media Contacts:
Neal Clark
Oscar Cross Boys & Girls Club of Paducah
(615) 717-7557
Jeff Blunt
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Kentucky
(513) 315-1145