The Cigna Group Foundation is partnering with
nearly 30 local nonprofits in 16 states to fight childhood hunger
and support youth mental health
BLOOMFIELD, Conn., Dec. 15,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- To help school-age children and
their families better access community resources and support, The
Cigna Group Foundation today announced it has committed nearly
$3.3 million to reduce food
insecurity and support youth mental health. These new grants are
part of The Cigna Group Foundation's Healthier Kids For Our
Future® initiative, which has awarded $25 million to nearly 150 nonprofits in
the United States since 2019.
"It's critical that we help students across the country thrive –
academically, physically, and emotionally," said Melissa Skottegaard, chairperson of The Cigna
Group Foundation. "The extraordinary organizations are embedded
within their local communities, which allows them to know firsthand
how to best solve some of these tough challenges. We are energized
by the innovation these groups have shown and the continued
positive impact they will make."
Some of the organizations that The Cigna Group Foundation
partnered with this year are:
- Partnership for a Healthier America, which aims to
transform the nation's food landscape in pursuit of health equity
and believes everyone should have access to food that is
affordable, sustainable, nutritious, high quality, and culturally
connected. This organization has committed to add 100 million
servings of produce to under-resourced communities by 2025, and a
Healthier Kids For Our Future® grant will support those efforts in
Milwaukee for more than 250
families.
- Mindful Schools, which will use this grant to
support its focus on deepening the skillsets of educators at 12
Title I schools across the country so these educators can create
long-term sustainability and schoolwide cultures of agency and
belonging. This program builds on mindfulness programs that were
successfully implemented in these schools over the past two
years.
- Youth Guidance, which serves 14,000 individuals in
the Chicago area. This grant
expands Working on Womanhood (WOW), a school-based,
evidence-backed group counseling and clinical mentoring program
that serves girls and young women of color from under-resourced
neighborhoods.
- Aurora Mental Health and Recovery, a Denver-based innovative program that serves
middle and high school-aged youth and their families by promoting
youth resilience and healthy socio-emotional development. With the
support of this grant, this program will help foster healthy
social-emotional development for local youth through structured
skill development workshops and social development activities.
About The Cigna Group Foundation
The Cigna Group Foundation is a private foundation funded by
contributions from The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI) and its subsidiaries.
The Cigna Group Foundation supports organizations sharing its
commitment to enhancing the health of individuals and families, and
the well-being of their communities, with a special focus on those
communities where employees of The Cigna Group live and work.
Media Contact
Kelly Mathews
(423) 260-9267
Kelly.Mathews@Evernorth.com
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SOURCE The Cigna Group