Blue Cross/Blue Shield hosting day of community service work
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) will hold its seventh annual statewide day of community service, Blue across Rhode Island, on Friday, Sept. 21. On this day, more than 600 employees, or nearly 80 percent of the BCBSRI workforce, will contribute approximately 3,200 volunteer hours, working on 15 volunteer projects throughout the state. These projects reflect BCBSRI partnerships with local non-profits helping to create stronger, healthier Rhode Island communities, whether by supporting the health and wellness of Rhode Island children, the Rhode Island senior population or adults with disabilities.
Project times vary slightly, but approximately 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Blackstone Valley projects include:
• The Confetti Foundation supplies extra-special birthday parties to children who have to spend a birth- day in the hospital. BCBSRI volunteers will construct themed birthday party kits to help more than 150 hospitalized children have a distraction from their illness and celebrate their special days. 50 Jordan St., East Providence
• Community Care Alliance: Time spent outdoors bolsters mental health and well-being. For children coping with trauma, an outdoor safe haven can be pivotal in their recovery. BCBSRI volunteers will help the Community Care Alliance create an outdoor therapeutic space by building an outdoor library, revitalizing sheds and painting for the hundreds of youth served at the Community Care Alliance’s Berard Education Center. 181 Cumberland St., Woonsocket
• NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley: Just outside of Pascoag Village is a community of 15 houses where families of all shapes and sizes have come together through a self-help housing program with the USDA. These families each have spent a year building their own affordable homes in this new neighborhood, known as Fernwood. BCBSRI volunteers will help put the finishing touches on some of these new homes by painting their interiors, accelerating the move-in timetable for families. 105 George Eddy Drive, Burrillville
• Special Olympics Rhode Island: BCBSRI volunteers will help to organize, paint and help with projects at Special Olympics of Rhode Island’s Smithfield headquarters alongside some of the Special Olympics athletes. The team will organize the garage and trailer, create gift bags and centerpieces for Special Olympics’ upcoming gala, paint logos and more. 370 George Washington Highway, Smithfield