- As part of the company's initiative, thousands of employees
logged 280,000 minutes of exercise over nine days
- Cigna leaders biked to Hartford,
Conn.'s Dunkin' Park to host Boys & Girls Clubs members
for a Yard Goats baseball game, with surprise appearances by
UConn basketball coach and
players
BLOOMFIELD, Conn., Sept. 9,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cigna Group (NYSE: CI)
put out a challenge to its workforce this summer, inviting
colleagues to join its first-ever Community Vitality
Project, a nine-day challenge combining fun, fitness and
fundraising. By logging more than 280,000 minutes of fitness
activities and awarding their minutes spent moving, The Cigna Group
employees helped determine how to allocate a collective
$25,000 donation among three
nonprofits: National Council for Mental Wellbeing, National
Coalition for Homeless Veterans and The American Academy of Family
Physicians Foundation. The Community Vitality Project kicked off
earlier this summer with more than $50,000 in donations from The Cigna Group and the
David and Sherry Cordani Family Foundation to three Boys &
Girls Clubs in Connecticut to
purchase new bicycles and helmets for the state's youth.
![UConn Men’s Basketball Coach Dan Hurley signing a ball for a Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford member. UConn Men’s Basketball Coach Dan Hurley signing a ball for a Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford member.](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2499269/Coach_Hurley_signing_resized.jpg)
The project culminated with a reception for Boys & Girls
Clubs youth, along with Cigna leaders, to watch the Hartford Yard
Goats baseball team play a home game at Dunkin' Park. Families were
also able to spend time with surprise guests: UConn men's basketball coach Dan Hurley, and UConn basketball players Alex Karaban, KK Arnold and Sarah Strong.
"We are excited to capstone The Cigna Group's Community Vitality
Project with a bike ride from our headquarters in Bloomfield to Dunkin Park, home of the Yard
Goats. We are thrilled to be joined by UConn's Dan Hurley,
Alex Karaban, KK Arnold and
Sarah Strong," said Melissa Skottegaard, senior vice president of
community programs and communications, The Cigna Group.
"Connecticut is our home state and
we are committed to building a better future for every individual
and every community here, and in our communities around the world.
Our Community Vitality Project empowers our employees to help make
a difference in our communities through physical activities and
have some fun doing so along the way. We are proud that by logging
their minutes, our employees helped support these three impactful
organizations, who are each doing their part to improve mental
health among youth and veterans, as well as reducing barriers to
health equity."
"We are so grateful for the support from The Cigna Group, which
offers our young people pathways to stay active and equips them
with the skills and resources they need to care for their physical
and mental health," said Tomeka
Cole, vice president of development and communications at
Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford. "Whether it's a way to get to work,
school or a friend's home, the bicycles and helmets donated to our
club will help our youth with empowerment, social connection and
physical fitness. It's also cool that many of our kids capped off
the summer by meeting these outstanding UConn basketball players. It was truly a
once-in-a-lifetime experience they will always cherish!"
The nonprofits receiving Community Vitality Project donations
were selected based on their mission alignment to our philanthropic
and community engagement initiative, which includes a
commitment from The Cigna Group Foundation to allocate more
than $27 million in grants over the next three years to
nonprofit organizations focused on improving youth mental health,
improving veteran mental health, and reducing barriers to health
equity.
About The Cigna Group
The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) is a
global health company committed to creating a better future built
on the vitality of every individual and every community. We
relentlessly challenge ourselves to partner and innovate solutions
for better health. The Cigna Group includes products and services
marketed under Cigna Healthcare, Evernorth Health Services or its
subsidiaries. The Cigna Group maintains sales capabilities in more
than 30 countries and jurisdictions and has more than 186 million
customer relationships around the world. Learn more at
thecignagroup.com.
About The Cigna Group Foundation
The Cigna Group
Foundation is a private foundation funded by contributions from The
Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) and its subsidiaries. The Cigna Group
Foundation supports organizations sharing its commitment to
enhancing the health of individuals and families, and the
well-being of their communities, with a special focus on those
communities where employees of The Cigna Group live and work.
About the David and Sherry Cordani Family
Foundation
The David and Sherry Cordani Family Foundation
was established by The Cigna Group chairman and CEO
David M. Cordani and his wife Sherry
to support organizations that create real-world lasting impacts
aligned with the Cordani family's commitments to supporting
community health and overall well-being.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford:
Boys
& Girls Clubs of Hartford fill
the gap between school and home, providing a welcoming and positive
environment for thousands of youth each year. Founded by four women
in Hartford in 1860, Boys &
Girls Clubs of Hartford has the
honor and distinction of being the nation's first Club and
maintains traditional clubhouses and school-based sites throughout
Hartford. Our mission is to enable
all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize
their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens
– putting them on a path to a great future. For more information,
please visit bgchartford.org.
Media Contact
Jocelyn Parker
(313) 510-4173
Jocelyn.Parker@CignaHealthcare.com
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SOURCE The Cigna Group