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Press Release

Independence Blue Cross Honors Martin Luther King, Jr. with Day of Service

Philadelphia, PA - January 18, 2008 - Independence Blue Cross associates will join thousands of volunteers on January 21 in the largest Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service event in the nation and mark the federal holiday with a day of active service. Independence Blue Cross is a sponsor of the 2008 Day of Service.

About 40 members of Independence Blue Cross’s corporate volunteer program, the Blue Crew, will make it “a day on, not a day off” at the13th annual Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service’s signature site at Germantown High School in Philadelphia.

Under the theme of “Beloved Community,” the Blue Crew will be on hand to help build a “beloved community” and meet community needs through these projects:

  • Assembling materials — such as clothing and crib and school supplies — for low-income and homeless newborns and children through Cradles to Crayons. Cradles to Crayons is an organization that distributes items such as coats, beddings, books, and toys to local children in need.
  • Packaging food for the region’s homeless.
  • Assisting in the Kid’s Carnival.
  • Sorting books for Philadelphia Reads. Philadelphia Reads is an initiative that seeks to ensure that Philadelphia’s students in kindergarten through third grade will be able to read well and independently.

Philadelphia is expected to have the largest event in the nation for the King Day of Service with an estimated 60,000 volunteers in 600 service projects. About 3,000 people — including Mayor Michael Nutter, U.S. Senator Robert P. Casey, and other elected officials and community leaders — will be participating in 40 projects at Germantown High School.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service celebrates Dr. King by transforming the federal holiday into a day of active citizenship. Since 1996, the Greater Philadelphia Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service has been the largest King Day of Service event in the nation. The event is organized by Global Citizen, the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, and PennSERVE: The Governor’s Office of Citizen Service.

About Independence Blue Cross
Independence Blue Cross is a leading health insurer in southeastern Pennsylvania. Nationwide, Independence Blue Cross and its affiliates provide coverage to nearly 3.4 million people. For 70 years, Independence Blue Cross has offered high-quality health care coverage tailored to meet the changing needs of members, employers, and health care professionals. Independence Blue Cross’s HMO and PPO health care plans have consistently received the highest ratings from the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

To fulfill its commitment to the communities and people it serves, Independence Blue Cross contributes millions of dollars each year to improve access to quality, affordable health care in the region by funding clinics for the uninsured, increasing the supply of nurses, fighting hospital-acquired infections, and promoting community wellness.

Independence Blue Cross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.