WellCare Gifts BGCBI With $10K Donation

PC: BGCBI

WellCare Health Plans, Inc.’s Community Foundation has donated $10,000 to support the Boys & Girls Club of the Big Island (BGCBI) in Hilo.

Each year, the Boys & Girls Club of the Big Island serves approximately 1,000 children, ages 6-17, through an after school enrichment program.

Approximately 96% of those children come from underserved minority populations, including Native Hawaiian, 58%, and Filipino, 9%. One-in-three enrolled children comes from poverty, with 21% of families having a total annual income of $10,000 or less, according to a BGCBI press release. Additionally, many students are not meeting math, literacy or science standards.

WellCare’s $10,000 donation will support 250 children in the BGCBI after school program and will help cover the cost of needed supplies, including books and athletic equipment, as well as room enhancements for the organization’s teen room and computer center located at the Hilo Clubhouse.

The Hilo program currently serves about 400 children, all of whom receive homework support, enrichment and wellness programming, recreational physical activity, out-of-school education classes and daily nutritional supplement and meal programs.

“At WellCare, our mission is to help our members live better, healthier lives. We do this by making connections to critical programs and social services that promote better health outcomes both for our members and the communities we serve,” said Rhonda Mims, WellCare’s executive vice president, chief public affairs officer and president of the WellCare Community Foundation. “This donation will support the Boys & Girls Club, which plays a critical role in helping children in Hilo reach their full potential.”

In conjunction with the start of the school year, ‘Ohana Health Plan associates in Hilo will also volunteer approximately 100 hours to help decorate the organization’s teen room, including painting and purchasing new materials and equipment for Boys & Girls Club programming.

“WellCare’s support makes a world of difference in our efforts to ensure that our children have every opportunity to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens,” said Chad Cabral, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of the Big Island.

Since 2008, ‘Ohana Health Plan has served Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries throughout Hawai‘i through its offices in Hilo, Kahului, Kapolei and Honolulu.