Green Bay Packers linebacker Jayrone Elliott and UnitedHealthcare teamed up today for a volunteer service project at Milwaukee Public Schools' Townsend Street School in the Sherman Park neighborhood.
Employee volunteers from UnitedHealthcare helped beautify the school by mulching and pulling weeds, painting walls, and reorganizing and restocking bookshelves in the school library.
Elliott, the 2016 Green Bay Packers Walter Payton Man of the Year, joined the UnitedHealthcare employees at the school for the volunteer activity and to announce support of the Blessings in a Backpack program for another academic year. UnitedHealthcare donated $11,000 to Elliott's Dreambuilders program to fund Blessings in a Backpack, a national nonprofit that provides students with bags of nutritious food. Beginning with the new school year in August, more than 100 students will leave Townsend every Friday with healthy food and snacks for the weekend.
During today's event, Elliott and UnitedHealthcare donated backpacks of healthy food to all of Townsend's 320 students.
"Making sure children have healthy food available on the weekend is very important to me, and I'm excited to partner with UnitedHealthcare to ensure that takes place at Townsend Street School, " said Elliott. "The food we give these kids each Friday during the school year through Blessings in a Backpack will make sure they get the nutrition they need."
"UnitedHealthcare is grateful for the opportunity to support Townsend Street School and partner with Jayrone Elliott's Dreambuilders to promote healthy lifestyles and good eating habits," said Dustin Hinton, president and CEO, UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin.
Last year, in addition to supporting Blessings in a Backpack, UnitedHealthcare granted funds to Townsend to renovate a student activity center.
"We are fortunate to have partners who care deeply about the community they serve and the children who live in it," said Dr. Darienne Driver, superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools. "We hope the generosity of UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin and Jayrone Elliott's Dreambuilders program inspires others to action."
This project is the latest in UnitedHealthcare's "Do Good. Live Well." employee volunteer initiative, whose mission is to prevent hunger and obesity, inspire service and encourage volunteerism. For more information about the benefits of volunteering and to find local opportunities to get involved, visit www.DoGoodLiveWell.org. Follow @DoGoodLiveWell on Twitter or "like" Do Good. Live Well. on Facebook.
About Blessings in a Backpack
Hunger has both short- and long-term negative effects on children's health and ability to succeed in school. Blessings in a Backpack mobilizes communities, individuals and resources to provide food on the weekends for elementary school children across America who might otherwise go hungry. Blessings in a Backpack currently feeds more than 76,000 children in 44 states and the District of Columbia. For more information visit www.blessingsinabackpack.org.
About Dreambuilders
The Dreambuilders Foundation is a non-profit organization that works with pro athletes across the country to help financially, physically and mentally-challenged kids receive the items, opportunities and equipment they need to reach their dreams.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, military service members, retirees and their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with 1 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @myUHC on Twitter.
About Milwaukee Public Schools
Milwaukee Public Schools is committed to accelerating student achievement, building positive relationships between youth and adults and cultivating leadership at all levels. The district's commitment to improvement continues to show results:
- More MPS students are taking college-level Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses;
- The MPS Class of 2015 earned $39+ million in scholarships; and
- MPS is home to seven of the state's top high schools according to U.S. News and World Report and the Washington Post.
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