UnitedHealthcare and Qualcomm Donate $50,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of America Following “5 Million Step Challenge” at CES 2017
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The 5 Million Step Challenge at CES 2017 benefits local and
national Boys & Girls Clubs and highlights the importance of daily
walking -
UnitedHealthcare also donates 200 NERF ENERGY Game Kits to the
Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada to help reduce childhood obesity
through “exergaming” and health education
LAS VEGAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–UnitedHealthcare and Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM), through its
wholly owned subsidiary Qualcomm
Life, Inc., today donated $50,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of
America.
The donation, which will be shared by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern
Nevada and the nonprofit’s national organization, is the culmination of
a fundraiser that was held during the International Consumer Electronics
Show (CES) 2017. UnitedHealthcare and Qualcomm gave away 500 activity
trackers to CES attendees, encouraging participants to each walk 10,000
steps on Saturday, Jan. 7, for a combined total goal of 5 million steps;
participants collectively walked 6.5 million steps as part of the
challenge.
Today at the Lied Memorial Clubhouse in Las Vegas, the two companies
presented a $50,000 check to Andy Bischel, president & CEO of Boys &
Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada.
UnitedHealthcare also donated 200 NERF Energy Game Kits, a
limited-release game that tracks physical activity and rewards kids for
being active. As children participate in physical activity, they earn
“energy points” that are tracked by the activity band, and these points
turn into screen time to play the mobile game on a smartphone or tablet.
The NERF ENERGY RUSH mobile game is an “endless runner” game that
requires players to turn, jump and avoid obstacles to complete courses
and earn power-ups to continue playing.
The donation is part of a recently launched national initiative
featuring Hasbro’s NERF products that encourages young people to become
more active through “exergaming.” UnitedHealthcare is donating 10,000
NERF ENERGY Game Kits to elementary schools and youth-focused
organizations across the country, enabling children ages six to 12 to
receive the kits at no cost.
“This generous donation from UnitedHealthcare and Qualcomm will help us
improve the lives of young people in Nevada by encouraging healthy
living, good nutrition and regular physical activity,” said Bischel. “We
believe these new NERF ENERGY Game Kits will help young people in our
community learn that exercise can be fun.”
Studies indicate that “exergaming” has the potential to reduce the
growing obesity epidemic among children and adults. A study
by George Washington University found exergames “spurred students to
move enough to meet the recommended intensity criteria for vigorous
activity,” and that these games are “a useful alternative to traditional
physical education.”
About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 150 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (GreatFutures.org)
has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as
productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, more than 4,200 Clubs
serve nearly 4 million young people annually through Club membership and
community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing
and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families
in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations
worldwide. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun,
friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis
during critical non-school hours. Priority programs emphasize academic
success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a
Harris Survey of alumni, 54 percent said the Club saved their lives.
National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more at http://www.bgca.org/facebook and http://bgca.org/twitter.
About Qualcomm Incorporated
Qualcomm’s technologies powered the smartphone revolution and connected
billions of people. We pioneered 3G and 4G – and now, we are leading the
way to 5G and a new era of intelligent, connected devices. Our products
are revolutionizing industries including automotive, computing, IoT and
healthcare, and are allowing millions of devices to connect with each
other in ways never before imagined. Qualcomm Incorporated includes our
licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio.
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated,
operates, along with its subsidiaries, all of our engineering, research
and development functions, and all of our products and services
businesses, including our semiconductor business, QCT, and our mobile,
automotive, computing, IoT and healthcare businesses. To learn more,
visit Qualcomm’s website,
blog,
Twitter
and Facebook
pages.
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 more than 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.
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Contacts
Qualcomm Life
Jamie Eisinger, 831-915-0295
jeisinge@qualcommlife.com
or
Boys
& Girls Clubs of America
Sara Leutzinger, 404-487-5624
sleutzinger@bgbc.org
or
UnitedHealthcare
Will
Shanley, 714-204-8005
will.shanley@uhc.com
