Our employees continued to give back their time, treasure, and talents through volunteer time off, group outings, and service on local boards and committees. In April, during National Volunteer Appreciation Week, Blue KC employees donated 550 hours<\/strong> of their time. They cooked meals for Ronald McDonald House Kansas City<\/a>, packaged hygiene kits for Giving the Basics<\/a>, and planted trees with Bridging the Gap<\/a>. Throughout the year, employees also gathered with their colleagues to transform team building outings into team volunteer outings. Blue KC employees volunteered their time with Kanbe\u2019s Markets<\/a>, Amethyst Place<\/a>, and many more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During our annual Blue KC Cares campaign, Blue KC partnered with the United Way of Greater Kansas City<\/a> to raise funds for our community. The theme was \u201cThere Is No Place Like Home \u2013 Give Where We Live.\u201d Our employees raised over $250,000<\/strong> for the local organizations and initiatives that mean the most to them, and they enjoyed some fun fundraising events like the annual chili cookoff and the new \u201cHot Ones\u201d hot wings challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In May, we teamed up with the Be The Spark program<\/a> to provide mental health support<\/a> to Summit Trail Middle School in Olathe, Kansas. We awarded a grant that facilitates the introduction of light therapy in classrooms with limited natural light, addressing student mental health by boosting mood and energy levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Early in the year we were honored to receive the United Way Breakthrough Campaign Award<\/strong> for our outstanding 2024 campaign! We are proud to be recognized for the impact our employees make throughout the year for our community, and we celebrate their record-breaking participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In September, we helped Kanbe\u2019s Markets<\/a> celebrate the opening of their 100th<\/sup> participating location of its Fresh Food Access Partners program. As one of Kanbe\u2019s original partners, Blue KC funded the first pilot location for Kanbe\u2019s Fresh Food Access Partners program in 2016 and recently funded their 100th location on Kansas City\u2019s East Side. As a cornerstone of Kanbe\u2019s Markets\u2019 mission to build more inclusive food systems in Kansas City, the Fresh Food Access Partners program places coolers and shelves filled with fresh, affordable produce inside gas stations and convenience stores, serving Kansas City communities with low access to traditional grocery stores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In November, we announced an investment of time and sponsorship for a brand-new project<\/a>. With the goal to leave behind a legacy in our community, we partnered with the Cornerstones of Care<\/a> Build Trybe<\/a> program and DeLaSalle Education Center<\/a> to build an Urban Learning Farm on an acre of land next to the school. The learning farm will eventually be a place for growing food, gathering together, culinary arts, and much more. Blue KC employees began volunteering alongside students to build raised beds for the farm and there\u2019s more work to come in 2026!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Founded in Kansas City in 1938, Blue KC is woven into the fabric of the local community. Looking back at the past 85-plus years, we\u2019re truly proud of the work we\u2019ve accomplished with our local partners and the meaningful investments we\u2019ve made. These investments reflect our mission of making healthcare more accessible and affordable to our community, to improve the health of our members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We look forward to helping keep Kansas City healthy for another 85-plus years!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.bluekc.com\/blueprint\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/WeGiveWhereWeLive_1280x720-1024x576.png\")
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