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Press Release

Santa Claus Plans Early Visit to Sheppard School

Students to receive gifts from Santa and Independence Blue Cross 'elves' on Monday

Philadelphia, PA - December 19, 2008 - Santa Claus is coming to town early for the students at the Isaac A. Sheppard School in North Philadelphia, courtesy of the elves at Independence Blue Cross (IBC). Santa will make the pre-Christmas stop on Monday, December 22, 2008.

Santa will visit the 280 students in kindergarten through fourth grade at the Sheppard School during the annual “Santa Day.” Each child will receive an early holiday gift — wrapped and individually labeled with his or her name — by Santa Claus himself.

The Sheppard School will also receive a gift on Santa Day. Joseph A. Frick, Independence Blue Cross president and CEO, will present a SMART board (an interactive whiteboard) to the school.

Santa Day is an annual tradition. Each year, hundreds of IBC associates donate new holiday gifts for the Sheppard School students. To surprise the students with Santa’s arrival, a collection of undercover IBC elves wrap, pack, and secretly ship the gifts to the Sheppard School before the event.

In addition to the 300 gifts for each of the Sheppard School students, IBC collected 300 coats for the school to give to its students on an as-needed basis.

For more than a decade, IBC has been a corporate sponsor of Sheppard School — a 98 percent poverty level school. IBC offers additional support through the Philadelphia Reads Power Partners program, beautification projects, and other programs to provide the students with academic and social support.