Newsletter
Spring Issue
(L-R) Jim Morrison(United Way of North Carolina), Ronda Barnes, Jasmine Smith, Maureen O'Connor and Jack Kenley(Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina).
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and Rex Healthcare Win Spirit of North Carolina Awards
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and Rex Healthcare were recognized with Spirit of North Carolina Awards for Campaign Excellence at the 2006 United Way of North Carolina Annual Meeting in Pinehurst. The awards honor outstanding commitment and support to communities through local United Way involvement by companies and their employees.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) received two awards –the Corporate Spirit Award and the Employee Spirit Award for businesses with 2,500 to 5,000 employees. This statewide award recognizes BCBSNC for its corporate philanthropy and manifold contributions to the local community. Days after Hurricane Katrina, top executives decided to encourage local giving by pledging to make a $100,000 donation to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief for Hurricane Katrina if employees met local employee giving goals. The strategy worked. Generous employees increased giving by 8 percent, from $578,931 to $634,802 during a challenging year and exceeded goal by more than 10 percent.
Sammie Best, Chris Main and Nancy Earley accept the award on behalf of Rex Healthcare.
Rex Healthcare won the Employee Spirit Award for the Hospital/Health System category. The creative theme of “DiREX TV – Tune in to What Matters” and Rex Fear Factor made this campaign Rex Healthcare’s most fun and innovative campaign to date. Hospital staff donned oversized sumo wrestling suits, ate unusual foods and participated in a scavenger hunt across the hospital. Employees responded with an overall giving increase of 12 percent.
Awards were presented to 23 companies and/or organizations during the United Way of North Carolina’s Annual Meeting. The Spirit Awards Committee judged more than 75 outstanding submissions from top companies, organizations, governmental entities, healthcare and educational institutions, as well as businesses – large and small. Organizations and companies were judged on a variety of criteria outlined in the Spirit of North Carolina Standards of Excellence including leadership giving, volunteerism, employee participation and giving levels, year-round education, corporate support, incentive programs and campaign rallies just to name a few.