The Foundation’s Impact on Mississippi

The mission of the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation is to provide leadership and targeted grant funding for sustainable initiatives and programs to improve the overall health and well-being of Mississippians.

The Foundation exists to make our state a healthy place to live, work and play, and its impact is empowering lasting change that is evident both in the built environment and in the health of the people who live here. Since its inception in 2004, the Foundation has formed relationships with community and school leaders and other stakeholders to build a healthy Mississippi.

The Foundation’s targeted grant funding is provided for the following purposes: increasing health literacy, enhancing or starting farmers’ markets, cultivating community and school gardens, encouraging tobacco-free environments, creating outdoor play spaces, and constructing places for physical fitness, healthy cooking classes, and health education, among other innovative project developments.

School Playgrounds

Students play at Houston Lower Elementary School’s new playground – Houston, MS (Image courtesy of the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation)

The Foundation gifted elementary schools across the state with updated playgrounds and provided each school with teacher education curriculum created as a best practice guide for promoting overall fitness and fun using outdoor play environments.

Farmers’ Markets

Grant funding provides opportunities for farmers’ markets across the state to be enhanced or created. By this, the Foundation is expanding community access to healthy foods.

LeFleur’s Bluff State Park

Children on the way to visit “Spotter the Otter” at the entrance to Spotter’s Adventure Trail at LeFleur’s Bluff Education and Tourism Complex. (Image courtesy of the Mississippi Children’s Museum). Family at the LeFleur’s Bluff Playground. - Jackson, MS

The 30,000-square-foot playground in Jackson opened to provide children in the state or visitors of the Mississippi Children’s Museum and Mississippi Museum of Natural Science a place to play. The playground also has an Outdoor Classroom and Pavillion.

Tobacco-Free College Campuses

The Foundation provides ongoing support to Mississippi’s universities and colleges by encouraging tobacco-free policies.

Healthy Heroes Program

Healthy Heroes Program - Eupora, MS (Image courtesy of the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation)

Foundation grant funding provides K-5 schools the opportunity to call in uniformed police officers and firefighters to lead physical fitness activities, teach healthy nutrition lessons and hold community walks with students. It’s designed to help increase health literacy and develop lasting healthy behaviors in school children.

School Garden Program

The Foundation partners with K-12 schools across the state to provide school gardens. Students learn the importance of growing food, healthy food habits and become farmers.

To learn more about the Foundation’s impact on Mississippians, visit their website at https://www.healthiermississippi.org.