Blue Shield Pays it Forward

Local staff form BlueShield of Northeastern New York have been fundraising to be able to ‘pay it forward’ to local charities in need. Employees have the option to dress casual on Fridays for a small fee. Together, employees raised $7,000 for local organizations.

For many area non-profits, the last quarter of the fiscal year can be a challenging time – in terms of budgeting and in terms of serving people in need. At Unity House, we see a tremendous increase in demand for needed services at this time of year. It’s a combination of factors such as children heading back to school, looming holidays and higher fuel costs once the colder weather arrives.

Employees at BlueShield were given the opportunity to nominate and vote on local charities that would be the beneficiaries of this year’s Pay it Forward campaign. Unity House is grateful to receive a $1,000 donation from the employees of BlueShield. The other six local organizations that received donations from the group are the American Heart Association, Equinox, Inc., Make-A-Wish Northeast New York, Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, National MS Society, Upstate New York Chapter, and the  Jonathan Carey Foundation.

About BlueShield
BlueShield of Northeastern New York is a division of HealthNow New York Inc., one of New York’s leading health care companies that provides access to quality health care and innovative solutions for members throughout upstate New York. Headquartered in Buffalo, NY, the company is an independent Licensee of the BlueCross BlueShield Association. Since 1946, BlueShield has helped millions of people lead healthier lives. Today, we offer a full range of insured, self-insured, and government programs and services covering businesses, families, and individuals, as well as life and disability coverage, dental and vision plans and stop-loss coverage. The company contributes significantly to organizations that promote physical health, community health and our region’s health.