Blue Shield Gives $150K To Inland Empire Nonprofits

INLAND EMPIRE, CA — Blue Shield of California announced Tuesday it is providing $150,000 to six Inland Empire nonprofit organizations that are advancing the health and well-being of youth and communities of color.

Each organization will receive $25,000 for a range of initiatives, including art programs, mentorship, technology training, housing, and social justice activism, according to Blue Shield.

The six IE recipients are:

• 100 Black Men of the Inland Empire
• TODEC Legal Center
• RAICES
• Building Resilience In African American Families
• Reach-Out
• Asian American Resource Center

In addition to the local organizations, Blue Shield also provided $150,000 to six San Francisco Bay Area nonprofits that are also working to support youth development, social justice, and health equity. Each will receive $25,000. The organizations include:

• Razing the Bar
• Youth Spirit Artworks (YSA)
• The Hidden Genius Project
• Black Girls Code
• Covenant House California YEAH!
• RYSE Center

Tuesday's announcement coincides with National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, as well as May’s Mental Health Awareness Month, "and builds on the work of Blue Shield’s BlueSky youth mental health initiative.

“These organizations are taking on hard challenges and finding new, innovative ways to inspire Black, Hispanic, Asian and foster youth to live their healthiest, most productive, and fulfilling lives,” said Kimberley Goode, senior vice president of External Affairs, Blue Shield of California. “As a nonprofit health plan whose goal is to help improve the health and well-being of all Californians, Blue Shield is honored to collaborate and provide our support.

“Local nonprofits are key to building a healthier California as they work to break down barriers to well-being and economic opportunities and reduce stigma around mental health,” Goode added. “Blue Shield selected this diverse group of organizations, who are trusted experts, working on the ground in their communities to drive meaningful change.”

“This funding couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Pepi Jackson, president of the Riverside County Black Chamber of Commerce, which supports the Building Resilience in African American Families organization. “It will immediately help us to increase the character-building services we provide to our young girls and boys who live in some of the most vulnerable communities in the Inland Empire. Thank you, Blue Shield!”