December 14, 2017
Content sponsored by
IBX/for PhillyVoice
The Blue Crew volunteers for service projects across the Greater Philadelphia Region.
Giving back to our community has been a cornerstone value at Independence Blue Cross (Independence) for 80 years. In fact, our culture of corporate service has become so integral to our brand that our volunteer organization — the Blue Crew — is nearly as well-known as Independence itself.
Launched more than 15 years ago, the Blue Crew is made up of our associates, retirees, and their families. It provides a framework that makes it fast and easy to volunteer for service projects across our region for more than 75 different non-profit organizations and events.
From planting a community garden at Share Food Program, to serving meals at five local Ronald McDonald Houses, to providing event support at the American Heart Association's Black Tie Gala, Blue Crew volunteers lend a hand wherever and whenever they are needed. The Blue Crew is on target for a record-breaking year in 2017, with nearly 1,300 volunteers donating more than 11,000 service hours.
Our long-standing reputation as a community leader has helped us collaborate and build relationships locally and throughout the nation. We’ve leveraged that position to help shape a national dialogue on the importance of service and to inspire others on new ways to give back.
In November, we held a Partnerships with Purpose conference, bringing together more than 400 local and national community leaders to explore opportunities for stronger, more innovative partnerships to improve the health and well-being of our communities.
The 'Partnerships with Purpose' conference brought local and national leaders together to explore innovative partnerships that improve the health of our communities.
The discussions explored best practices and exciting ways to create dynamic cross-sector partnerships. We heard from nationally respected organizations like UPS, which created a ground-breaking international partnership with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and Zipline to use drones to deliver lifesaving and critical health products to remote areas of the world.
The conference attendees learned how several organizations have overcome dissimilar views and approaches to build successful partnerships. And how they succeeded because of these differences.
Serving our community and inspiring others reinforces our company’s essential character to make people’s lives better. Whether it’s by creating a workplace that highly encourages volunteerism or spurring collaboration among civically like-minded organizations, we’re committed to being there for our community.
