For immediate release: July 24, 2003
Contact: Leigh Tofferi - (802) 371-3205

BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF VERMONT, THE VERMONT HEALTH PLAN, AND HILDENE CELEBRATE RUN GIRL RUN PROGRAM

Berlin, VT – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont and its HMO affiliate The Vermont Health Plan will celebrate the success of the "Run Girl Run!" program by hosting a barbecue for the participants with Hildene at the popular Manchester, VT estate immediately following the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure breast cancer fundraising run that starts at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 27. BCBSVT and TVHP have pledged support in 2003 for the "Run Girl Run!" initiative undertaken by the Vermont Department of Health, and BCBSVT is a long-time contributor to the Race for the Cure.

The BBQ lunch will be the culmination of the 8-week training effort by the 100 Vermont girls who participated at the 10 "Run, Girl, Run!" sites. The girls and their families will be treated to a free lunch, a 100-foot waterslide, trust-building games and fun for all. This year marks the largest participation of girls in "Run, Girl, Run!'s" history with the Vermont Race for the Cure.

"Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont's HMO affiliate, The Vermont Health Plan, is sponsoring five of 10 Run Girl Run sites across the state," said Megan Peek, BCBSVT Community Relations and Health Education Coordinator. "The program gives middle-school-aged girls the opportunity to run non-competitively at practice sessions and then try out their new skills at events like the Race for the Cure, which is held each year in Manchester to support breast cancer research."

Nearly one-fourth of Vermont students in grades 8 through 12 are overweight or are becoming overweight. The Run Girl Run Program's goal is to reverse this startling trend.

"Through the program, girls not only become more physically active, but learn about health matters important to them. At practice sessions, volunteer coaches talk to team members about diet, exercise, body image, peer pressure and other topics important to young teenagers," Peek said.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is the state's oldest and largest private health insurer, providing coverage for about 180,000 Vermonters. It employs over 350 Vermonters at its headquarters in Berlin and its full-service field office in Williston, and has offered group and individual health plans to Vermonters for more than 60 years. More information about Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is available on the Internet at www.bcbsvt.com Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is an independent corporation operating under a license with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans.

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