One Community. One Blue. One Beach!

Blue Cross/ Blue Shield Annual Service Day

with Save the Harbor / Save the Bay

On September 18, 2013, eighty employees from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts joined Save the Harbor/Save the Bay for a beach cleanup in South Boston.

 
The 80 members of Blue Cross Blue Shield’s “Blue Crew” were part of the company’s 3rd annual company-wide service day, which included 3,000 employees and 16,000 service hours across the entire state.

The “Blue Crew” partnered with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and spent a full day removing trash, trimming bushes and overgrown brush, and weeding pathways and sidewalks that line the beach and adjacent parks and ball fields.  In total, the “Blue Crew” beautified 12+ acres of public parks, including 2 miles of sandy swimming beaches and 3 miles of urban parkways and removed more than 7 tons of trash and landscape debris.

Andrew Dreyfus, President & CEO Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and Jeff Bellows, VP of of Corportate Citizenship were on hand – and hands on -  at the event.

“We appreciate the opportunity to partner with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay to protect the public’s $4.5 billion investment in the Boston Harbor Cleanup.  Our employees share the mission to restore our public beaches and our harbor”, said Dreyfus. "Inspired by the vision and goals of our community partners, Service Day gives our associates the opportunity to strengthen cities, towns, and neighborhoods across Massachusetts and continues our more than 75 year legacy of community commitment - which has been a hallmark of Blue Cross since our founding."

Save the Harbor’s President Patty Foley, who learned to swim at L Street Beach, was impressed by what the “Blue Crew” accomplished and is proud to have earned their support.  “We value our partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield and their commitment to our community.  They are passionate about our mission to restore our harbor and beaches while creating the next generation of harbor stewards. BCBS is a truly a leader in corporate citizenship in our city and beyond.”

Jay Stack participated in last year’s service day with Save the Harbor and I stepped up and volunteered to be Site Coordinator for BC/BS Service Day 2013.  “I grew up in this town and had many fun on these beaches. It is really rewarding to give a little back.”

Bandi “Weed Killer” Braimn tackled weeds and invasive species with gusto. “What a productive day on Carson Beach”, said Bandi as he trimmed the overgrown brush among the sea grass.  “My granddaughter lives here so we bring her to these beaches.  This is a great opportunity to give back and teach her the importance of community service.”

Thanks to everyone who took part in this great event. All of us at Save the Harbor really appreciate your hard work and commitment to our mission and our community.

For information about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay visit our website at www.savetheharbor.org follow us on facebook at www.facebook.com/savetheharbor  or visit our Boston Harbor blog “Sea, Sand & Sky” at http://www.blog.savetheharbor.org

For more information about the Blue Cross / Blue Shield of Massachusetts Day of Service, visit http://www.bluecrossma.com/service-day/

Cruising on a pair of SPECTACLES

Last week I went on a trip to Spectacle Island, after a long day of flying kites and exploration of the island I made a new friend. His name was Steven. He was very interesting. On the boat ride back to Boston you pass by Logan International Airport and you see all the planes coming in and out of Boston. Steven told me what every single airplane was. He told me the model number and company that owned it. This was interesting because he had all of them memorized. I asked him how he knew all of this and he told me because he was interested in Planes and Jets, and he loved to read. Steven was like a child with photographic memory. He told me that "All planes are jets but all jets aren't planes." Think about it, it makes a lot of sense. I didn't get it at first either.

This is a picture of Steven and I making funny faces. We got along very well and hes an awesome person. As we were talking I noticed that he didn't know who Beyonce was or Jay-Z but he was going to learn. He's a very funny kid and we both had a fun time on Spectacle.

My First Day

I'm Michael Atkins I am 18 and I will be going to college at Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology in the fall and is currently taking a summer school there now.

I am a summer intern for Blue Cross Blue Shield and working at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. My first day was different then other jobs I had. Me having classes in the morning I arrived in the afternoon and I thought I was going to be abell to hangout and relax it being the first day and all but no. I went out and saw these men putting away fish - which I couldn't identify at all!

I learned a new fish today. The fish was called a Red Fish and if you seen it it looked like something from a movie. The fish being a bright blood red color with these massive big eyes, the reason why because the Red Fish live deep in the ocean and when they get them all the pressure from the fish coming up so fast the eyes get big from the pressure. I never seen a fish like that in my life and it was cool to see and learn about the Red Fish because it lets you know that there more out there then what you see on T.V. or in movies. My first day is something that I will always remember.