U Wish We Walk - Team UnitedHealthcare Takes the Lead in Fundraising at 3rd Annual Walk for Wishes

Caption: Joined by Tampa Bay Buccaneer Vincent Jackson (2nd from left, back row) UnitedHealthcare’s “U Wish We Walk” team raised more than $18,000, earning it the top fundraising team honors for the 3rd Annual Walk for Wishes.

Team UnitedHealthcare’s “U Wish We Walk” members earned top honors as the lead fundraising team, raising more than $18,000 for the 3rd Annual Tampa Bay Walk for Wishes on Sat., Apr. 30, 2016 at Curtis Hixon Park in Tampa, Fla. The annual walk helps raise money to grant wishes to local children with life threatening illnesses.

Spearheaded by UnitedHealthcare’s Vice President of Network Management for Tampa/Panhandle and Walk for Wishes Chair, Dennis Leon, Team UnitedHealthcare’s fundraising efforts helped the event surpass its goal of $208,000 by more than $9,000, with a total of more than $217,612 donated to-date. Based on the approximate cost of $8,000 to grant one wish, the 3rd Annual Tampa Bay Walk for Wishes generated enough donations to provide 27 local children with a wish-come-true experience.

“It was a tremendous effort on behalf of Team UnitedHealthcare and all the participants to help this year’s Walk for Wishes exceed its fundraising goal for Make-A-Wish,” said Dennis Leon, Vice President of Network Management for UnitedHealthcare and Walk for Wishes Chair. “I am honored that UnitedHealthcare could be such a significant contributor and help the event generate so many wishes for local children,” Leon added.

About Make-A-Wish

Make-A-Wish® grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions and enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. According to a 2011 U.S. study of wish impact, most health professionals surveyed believe a wish-come-true can have positive impacts on the health of children. Kids say wishes give them renewed strength to fight their illnesses, and their parents say these experiences help strengthen the entire family. Based in Phoenix, Ariz., Make-A-Wish is one of the world’s leading children’s charities, serving children in every community in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and more than 25,000 volunteers, on average, Make-A-Wish grants a wish to someone in the US and its territories every 38 minutes. It has granted more than 240,000 wishes since its inception in 1980. For more information, visit www.wish.org.

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, military service members, retirees and their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with 1 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @myUHC on Twitter.