Volunteering Together for Our Community and Our Team

A team of Independence employees spent a day volunteering together and realized they not only helped their community but also strengthened their team.
It wasn’t until recently that I discovered how much I love to volunteer. My wife, two kids, and I have enjoyed finding different ways to help organizations within our community. I’ve done a little bit of everything, from running activities for children at after-school events to volunteering at food banks. And I love to urge friends and family to participate in something — regardless of how big or small — that can help make a difference....
Read More

If You Want to Feel Good, Do Good

A team of Independence employees spent a day volunteering together and realized they not only helped their community but also strengthened their team.
The Blue Crew volunteers for service projects across the Greater Philadelphia Region. There aren’t many scenarios where everyone wins. That’s why volunteering is so special. When you volunteer, it’s a win-win situation. Your community benefits from your time, work, and skills. And you benefit, too. Making time to do good for others can have a significant impact on your well-being....
Read More

The Blue Cross Broad Street Run: A Beginner’s Guide to Gear

When I ran my first Blue Cross® Broad Street Run in 2008, I had so many questions about what I should wear, how I should layer, and where I would put all my essentials (keys, cell phone, etc.). Looking back, I wish I had consulted with a more seasoned runner — someone who could’ve answered all my questions and reassured me that dressing for race day needn’t be so complicated....
Read More

IVets: Supporting Veterans’ Transition into the Business World

When I left the Marine Corps and returned to a career at Independence Blue Cross back in 1998, I struggled a lot more than I thought I would. I felt very alone as I tried to transition back in to the business world. Independence’s IVets veterans’ group hadn’t yet been founded, but if it had, I would have certainly had a much easier experience,...
Read More

The Blue Cross Broad Street Run: 3 Tips for the Casual Runner

As a lifelong basketball player, I’ve been active my whole life. But I’m a relative newcomer to running. It wasn’t until I was 39 years old and started working at Independence Blue Cross (IBX) that I got into running and started running the Blue Cross® Broad Street Run (BCBSR). And now, 2018 will mark the sixth year I have run this ever-popular race....
Read More

Supporting Women in Need: Food and Warmth in Safe Haven Housing

Project Home’s Women of Change: Providing Safe Haven Housing for Women in Need
IBX Associate and Blue Crew Volunteer, Annamarie Burke, serving up dinner at Project Home Women of Change, a shelter that provides safe haven housing for women in need.  Close your eyes for a second and try to remember the biting cold we experienced early this winter. Now, imagine coming in from the freezing temperatures and being greeted by a smiling face ready to serve you a hot bowl of soup and a golden grilled cheese sandwich. ...
Read More

How Do You Make Your Heart Happy?

Lorina Marshall-Blake and the IBX Foundation team wearing red in support of American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign. Like many people, some days I’m so busy, it seems I barely have time to breathe. But every day, I take 15 minutes just for myself to walk one mile on the treadmill....
Read More

Celebrating the Lunar New Year

At IBX, there’s a strong commitment to recognizing and embracing diverse backgrounds and experiences. Our employees even form social groups (we call them Associate Resource Groups) dedicated to making sure everyone’s voices are heard. The newest of our associate resource groups, imPACT (Pan Asians and Allies Collaborating Together), is raising awareness of the 2018 “Lunar New Year” observed on Friday,...
Read More

Blue Crew Volunteer Leaders: Helen Furlow

Helen Furlow Blue Crew
Helen Furlow (sitting, second from left) and a team of Blue Crew volunteers participate in the Philly Reads Book Repository Clean-up during the 2017 Martin Luther King Day of Service. Helen Furlow, Senior Administrative Assistant Years on the Blue Crew Advisory Board: 2 Sometimes it’s the simplest things that take our lives in new directions — things like a handful of unsharpened pencils....
Read More