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Amerigroup Louisiana Provides Scholarships for Girls' Running Program at Six New Orleans SchoolsThe Amerigroup Foundation awarded $18,400 to Girls on the Run of New Orleans to sponsor Heart & Sole programs being offered at six New Orleans area middle schools. Heart & Sole is a 10-week after school program for 6th - 8th grade girls that uses running as a tool to teach girls about physical, emotional, mental and social health. In addition, Amerigroup's funding has already provided scholarships for girls to participate in spring sessions that were offered at Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary School, Edward Hynes Charter School and Mildred Osborn Charter School. Additional scholarships will be offered for participation in fall sessions. The schools that will host fall programs will be announced this summer. "Amerigroup is focused on building healthier communities across Louisiana, and we know that if we can help children adopt healthy lifestyles early on, they are more likely to grow into healthy adults and pass healthy habits on to future generations" said Sonya Nelson, president of Amerigroup Louisiana. "The Heart & Sole program not only teaches our girls about physical health, but the program also promotes life skills that can improve mental and social wellbeing." The Heart & Sole program consists of small teams (8-12 girls) to offer the opportunity to build relationships with coaches and team members. Teams meet twice a week with their trained, volunteer coaches to play games, complete projects and use the power of running to lean about themselves and others. During each session, the girls use a journal to record lap goals, efforts and self-reflect on the topics discussed that day. Physical activity remains a core element of the Heart & Sole program and includes strength and conditioning appropriate for girls of this age group. The season then culminates with a Girls on the Run 5k, which is the celebratory event that underscores the confidence, competence, connection, character and caring the girls have been developing during the program sessions. Completing the 5k run also gives the girls a tangible sense of goal setting and achievement. "Girls on the Run of New Orleans is grateful to Amerigroup for supporting our mission to inspire girls to be healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum, which creatively integrates running," said Jody Braunig, executive director, Girls on the Run of New Orleans. "Thanks to Amerigroup, girls from local area middle schools will have the confidence to walk, skip or jump across the 5k finish-line! These girls have served as role models for their friends, family and school communities, and we feel this program has given them the tools to feel beautiful from the inside out." Additionally, Amerigroup's funding enables Girls on the Run of New Orleans to offer approximately 240 Heart & Sole spring and fall session scholarships. The scholarships pay for running shoes, water bottles, practice shirts, an official 5k run shirt, and other expenses related to the program sessions and 5k race event. Heart & Sole is accessible to all girls regardless of athletic ability or fitness level, and considers the range of ages and varied experiences of middle schoolers. Girls enrolled in New Orleans Heart & Sole spring sessions recently participated in a celebratory 5k race that was held at the City Park Festival Fair grounds on May 14. Registration for fall sessions will begin in late summer. To learn more about Girls on the Run of New Orleans and the Heart & Sole programs, or to sign up as a coach, visit www.gotrnola.org. ABOUT THE AMERIGROUP FOUNDATION The Amerigroup Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Amerigroup, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anthem, Inc. Together, with local, regional and national organizations, the Amerigroup Foundation works to enhance the health and well-being of individuals and families in communities that Amerigroup and its affiliated health plans serve. Amerigroup Foundation funding is focused on strategic initiatives working to address and provide innovative solutions to health care challenges, as well as promoting the Healthy Generations Program, a multi-generational initiative with five areas of focus: Healthy Heart, Cancer Prevention, Healthy Maternal Practices, Type 2 Diabetes Prevention, and Healthy Active Lifestyle. These disease states and medical conditions include: prenatal care in the first trimester, low birth weight babies, cardiac morbidity rates, long term activities that decrease obesity and increase physical activity, diabetes prevalence in adult populations, adult pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations and smoking cessation. The Foundation also coordinates the company's year-round Associate Giving program which provides a 50 percent match of associates' campaign pledges, as well as its Volunteer Time Off and Dollars for Doers community service programs. To learn more about the Amerigroup Foundation, please visit www.anthem.foundation.
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