Recent Press
WellPoint and Anne Elizabeth Shepherd Home Partner for National Community Service Day
After months of planning, WellPoint associates partnered with the Anne Elizabeth Shepherd Home on Saturday, April 25 for their first ever National Community Service Day. The group of 40 dedicated local BlueCross BlueShield volunteers worked side-by-side with the girls living at the Anne Elizabeth Shepherd Home to landscape, upgrade the basketball court, paint a mural, paint the cottages where the residents live, and plant a seed garden at the Double Churches Road campus. The Anne Elizabeth Shepherd Home was originally formed in 1845 by the Ladies Educational and Benevolent Society as an orphanage and has served as a safe haven for more than a century. By responding to the changing needs of the community, The Anne Elizabeth Shepherd Home evolved to become a residential facility for young girls experiencing sexual abuse and trauma in 1993. Today, the home continues a longstanding tradition of quality care under the umbrella of Twin Cedars Youth Services, Inc. by offering a unique array of services to include basic necessities such as food, clothing and shelter, on-site educational services, as well as outpatient therapy. Each night there are approximately 40 young girls ages 7-19 sleeping on a pillow at the 14 acre campus.
National Community Service Day was an effort among WellPoint employees nationwide to improve communities where they live and work. The theme for this year’s Community Service Day, “Building Healthy Communities,” was an initiative of the WellPoint Foundation designed to engage associates in issues that are critical to their own communities. BlueCross BlueShield
Team Leader Donna Lavender stated, “It was a pleasure for me and my colleagues to work closely with the staff at the Anne Elizabeth Shepherd Home. It was a great opportunity for our associates to come together and give back to our community. To see the impact our efforts have on the organization and the children is extremely gratifying.” Anne Elizabeth Shepherd Home Program Director Lynne Taylor added, “This was a unique opportunity for the girls living at the home to see professionals giving back. We work diligently to instill that value in each and every girl that comes to live here with us.”The Anne Elizabeth Shepherd Home was created and continues to be sustained by volunteers in the Columbus area. By establishing this unique partnership for National Community Service Day, BlueCross Blue Shield was able to make a tremendous difference in the lives of children. For more information about The Anne Elizabeth Shepherd Home and how you can help please call (706) 322-8984 or visit www.twincedars.org. For more information about BlueCross BlueShield of Georgia visit www.bcbsga.com.