UnitedHealth Group Teams with the Entertainment Industry Foundation to Promote Community Service
Groundbreaking Initiative to Inspire Americans to Volunteer, Reap Personal Health Benefits
MINNEAPOLIS (Sept.10, 2009) UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) announced today its support and sponsorship of “I Participate,” the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s (EIF) new initiative to mobilize Americans to serve. Over the coming year, UnitedHealth Group and EIF will help people find volunteer activities that contribute to their community and their own sense of purpose and well-being. The “I Participate” campaign also supports President Barack Obama’s national call to service.
“Our partnership with the Entertainment Industry Foundation is a major expansion of our work to champion the volunteer spirit that strengthens America and to help people live healthier lives,” said Tom Paul, president UnitedHealth Group Alliances. “Volunteering and community service are powerful forces for improving both the places we live and our personal health and well-being.”
As part of this national movement to encourage American volunteerism, the multi-media “I Participate” campaign will feature the UnitedHealth Group’s consumer brand -- UnitedHealthcare. A centerpiece of the campaign is a Web site (www.iparticipateusa.org) where people can find volunteer opportunities in their own communities in five key areas: education and children; health and well-being; financial security; environmental conservation; and support for military families. The site features a calendar of events, maps, digital tool kits and ready-made recommendations for how people can get involved. Leveraging the power of social networking sites like Facebook, volunteers can also join the movement, recruit friends, and encourage others to get involved.
The campaign’s 2009 centerpiece will be a week-long television event from October 19th to the 26th, when America’s most-popular TV shows on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and other networks will spotlight service through scripted programming segments and public service announcements with inspirational messages about volunteerism. Ultimately the campaign will benefit from the participation of all facets of the entertainment industry, including film studios and other television networks, in events and initiatives that promote service and volunteerism to their respective audiences. EIF has enlisted filmmaker Jesse Dylan and his production company, FreeForm, to create, direct and produce a series of celebrity-driven public service announcements to reinforce the importance of volunteerism.
UnitedHealth Group believes in the link between volunteering and good health, and the “I Participate” campaign advances this connection. Healthy communities are critical in helping people live healthier lives. Studies demonstrate that those individuals who volunteer early in life experience greater functional ability and better health outcomes later in life. Further research shows volunteerism improves six aspects of personal well-being: happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, sense of control over life, physical health and mental well-being.
Volunteering to live a healthier life is embodied by the approximately 50,000 (71 percent) UnitedHealth Group employees who volunteered last year. Through the company’s program, UnitedVolunteers, employees are volunteering at hospices, serving food at shelters, mentoring youths, helping victims of disasters, and walking to support the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, and the Alzheimer’s Association.
“Serving others gives greater meaning to life, stimulates and motivates healthy behaviors, and decreases stress and tension,” said Reed V. Tuckson, M.D., executive vice president and chief of medical affairs, UnitedHealth Group. “These benefits, along with the interpersonal relationships that are formed, are key ingredients for a healthy life.”
“People feel a real need right now to connect with other people and stand shoulder to shoulder with their neighbors and friends to do something for the greater good,” said Lisa C. Paulsen, President and CEO, Entertainment Industry Foundation. “We appreciate the commitment of UnitedHealth Group and its employees to support volunteering and positively impact our communities.”
About UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealth Group (www.unitedhealthgroup.com) is a diversified health and well-being company dedicated to making health care work better. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., UnitedHealth Group offers a broad spectrum of products and services through six operating businesses: UnitedHealthcare, Ovations, AmeriChoice, OptumHealth, Ingenix, and Prescription Solutions. Through its family of businesses, UnitedHealth Group serves more than 70 million individuals nationwide.
About The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF)
The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) organization, harnesses the collective power of the entertainment industry and channels its unique assets to raise awareness and funds for critical health, educational and social issues. www.eifoundation.org.
