Answering the Call

A young woman looks thoughtfully at a laptop computer
Without a doubt, 2020 has been — and continues to be — a really challenging year for all of us. Communities everywhere are struggling, and organizations of all kinds need support. But what can we do to help, while also minimizing the spread of COVID-19? At Independence Blue Cross (Independence), we truly believe in giving back....
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Support Your Community Through Skill-Based Volunteering

A group of Compass volunteers and Rebuilding Together Philadelphia staff participating in a design thinking session. Last fall, I was invited to an information session to learn how my professional skills could help local nonprofit agencies. Compass, a local nonprofit, was seeking volunteers to serve on strategy consulting teams to work with local nonprofits....
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Social Service and Generosity While Social Distancing: How to Make a Community Impact While Staying Home

A hand coloring a picture with crayons.
You might have read that title and scratched your head. How is it possible to serve and practice generosity while physically distancing yourself? As an extrovert and someone whose role at work is to organize community engagement activities for the Blue Crew, Independence’s corporate volunteer program, these past few weeks have been very difficult. To keep our associates and their families safe we’ve had to cancel our participation in dozens of volunteer opportunities throughout the community....
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Be Your Best: Empowering Girls Today for a Brighter Future

Be Your Best participants at a recent graduation ceremony. Several years ago, my friend Eileen Hence, Program Director at the Salvation Army, asked me for my help with Be Your Best, an after-school enrichment program for young girls. While I wanted to help, I was hesitant to say yes. I remember thinking,...
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Random or Planned — Kindness Matters

A group of Blue Crew volunteers
Carol Dunleavy (left) and other members of the Blue Crew, volunteering at the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House When I was first asked to write a blog about kindness, my initial reaction was, “Would anyone listen to my thoughts on kindness?” While I consider myself to be a kind person, I wasn’t sure if everyone else would agree....
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Get Involved with Giving Tuesday

The holidays are a special time, but the season of giving can also be stressful. For many, the pressure of trying to find the perfect gift for their loved ones can be overwhelming. There’s another day coming up this holiday season that’s also focused on giving — with no gifts required! It’s called Giving Tuesday, and it falls on December 3....
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Fighting Hunger this Holiday Season

Members of the Blue Crew volunteering at a local food pantry. The holidays are a special time for many of us — from gifts to gatherings, this time is made up of fond memories with our loved ones. It’s during this time that we often take a moment to reflect on all the things that we’re grateful for in our lives....
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More Than Just Volunteers: The Blue Crew are Champions of Change

Volunteers painting a mural at a Turning Points for Children center.
Blue Crew volunteers painting a mural at a Turning Points for Children center. When I received a phone call from the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey during the summer of 2016, I didn’t expect it would lead to me ordering a truck containing two cubic yards of topsoil....
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Beyond Giving Back: How Volunteering Can Help Boost Your Career

Michael Allen boxing up food at a volunteer event
If you ask Michael Allen, he will tell you that volunteering is contagious; that’s how he got his start with the Blue Crew and volunteering in 2011. He had just joined Independence Blue Cross when an enthusiastic associate (and passionate Blue Crew member) told him about the company’s volunteer program and encouraged him to sign up....
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Honoring America’s Heroes at the Medal of Honor Grove

Blue Crew volunteers sprucing up the grounds at the Medal of Honor Grove
Blue Crew volunteers helping to spruce up the Medal of Honor Grove. There are approximately 30 million military veterans in the United States, and that number keeps growing every day! The IVets, Independence Blue Cross’s associate resource group for veterans, includes many men and women who have served on behalf of American citizens....
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