Boys & Girls Clubs
A partnership to combat the youth mental health crisis through trauma-informed approaches to behavioral health care. Funding will provide training for their staff to better support the emotional and mental well-being of the children they serve.

Folkways
Support of their Kids Healthy Eating Bite Sized Kids Club providing better access to nutritious foods and creating healthier eating habits at an early age.

Northern Cass School
Funds from the BCBSND Caring Foundation will help increase mental health services at Northern Cass by increasing the presence of a certified therapist in the school. This will shorten the wait time to see a therapist as well as provide regular weekly visits.

BIO Girls
Caring Foundation funding will help BIO Girls programming expand from serving 1,380 girls in 2022 to a projected 6,500 girls in 2025.

ABLE Education Online Curriculum
With help from the Caring Foundation, TNT Kid’s Fitness is developing an online ABLE education curriculum. This is a distance-learning university that uses quantitative data to design evidenced-based education, interventions and a library of trainings.

Youth Camp Programming Expansion
With funding from the Caring Foundation, Farmers Union Camp was able to purchase paddle boats, canoes and kayaks as well as purchase and install a playground gaga pit. In 2021, 16 camps were hosted in Jamestown and Elgin with nearly 1,200 kids attending.

In School Dental Sealant Program
Oral health is a huge part of component of well-being, which is why Spectra Health is working with support from the BCBSND Caring Foundation to bring dental care to children who may not be able to afford it. Spectra Health has implemented a school-based dental program where they visit eleven schools in the northeast region of the state, giving dental cleanings, fluoride varnishes, oral health assessments and sealants to students, many of whom have no dental home and are need of dental care. This program breaks down barriers for families as Spectra goes to where the kids are, eliminating the parents to have to take time off work and removes any possible transportations barriers. This program also helps the students medically, socially and academically as untreated tooth decay can cause pain and infections that may lead to problems with eating, speaking, playing, and learning.  This program helped 610 children from Pre-K through fifth grade this spring prior to the pandemic.

Pediatric Cancer Research and Support
All kids deserve a healthy, worry-free childhood and BCBSND Caring Foundation is dedicated to helping ensure that happens. The Foundation is a proud supporter and primary sponsor of Brave the Shave, an event to raise money to fight childhood cancer and support North Dakota families who have been impacted. Brave the Shave holds events all throughout the year with their flagship event happening annually in Bismarck. The event is chaired by BCBSND employee Scott Oothoudt in honor of his 4-year-old son Cully, who passed away after a long and brave fight against cancer.

STEM Programming
BCBSND Caring Foundation awarded Central Cass Public School District in Casselton a three-year grant to help fund their new Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) curriculum and expand their STEM curriculum into the elementary and middle school levels giving younger students the opportunity to build their capacity for critical thinking through applied learning. The Foundation is honored to be a partner on this initiative as STEM disciplines are not only vital in preparing students to enter the 21st-century workforce but are also critical foundation skills for success in life.

Safety Around Water
BCBSND Caring Foundation partnered with the Missouri Valley Family YWCA in Bismarck for their Safety Around Water Program. The program teaches children of all ages and backgrounds that water should be fun, not feared, as long as they know how to stay safe. They learn fundamental water-safety skills and what to do if they find themselves in the water unexpectedly.