In the spring of every year, National Volunteer Week at Blue Cross is an opportunity to recognize and thank those who lend their time, talent, voice, and energy to causes they care about. At Blue Cross’ Volunteer Celebration for 2023, more than 300 associates were recognized for their efforts over the past year.

“Volunteerism is deeply woven into who we are as a company,” Dana Erickson, president and CEO at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. “Many of our associates tell me it’s a big reason why they chose to work at Blue Cross.”

Volunteering by the numbers in 2022

• Nearly half of all Blue Cross associates used Volunteer Paid Time Off (VPTO) for the year, resulting in nearly 14,000 hours of donated time.
• The number of associates who used all 20 of their available VPTO hours increased by nearly 20 percent.

Giving back and strengthening teams

Each year following National Volunteer Week, three teams at Blue Cross are recognized for a volunteer project or activity organized within a division, department or by a group of associates. Team Recognition Award winners are selected by a panel of nonprofit judges and awarded with a $500 contribution to their nonprofit.

“It’s truly extraordinary to see the commitment of our volunteers and team recognition award winners,” said AJ McDougall, chief strategy officer and vice president of marketing, communications, and customer experience.

The following team volunteer efforts were honored this year:

• Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability Virginia Farmers Market and Power of Produce Team
  A team of 11 associates volunteered more than 200 hours connecting the local community to local produce and increasing access to healthy food to community members in need every Thursday from June through October.
• United Heroes League and Blue Cross Allies of the Military Associate Resource Group (ARG) Team
  The Allies of the Military ARG (Associate Resource Group) volunteer team supported United Heroes League by sorting, cleaning, and organizing thousands of sports equipment donations for military families.
• Friends & Co. Blue Cross Quarterly Card Connect Team
  Approximately 80 volunteers teamed up with Friends & Co., a St. Paul-based nonprofit that focuses on making meaningful connections for older adults. Collectively, the team put in more than 1,000 hours to create personalized cards for hundreds of seniors dealing with loneliness and isolation.

Learn more

Find out more about our commitment to community here: 2022 Report to the Community