BCBSND Caring Foundation Awards SPARK Grant
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota (BCBSND) Caring Foundation has awarded the spring strengthening people, access, resources and knowledge (SPARK) grants for 2024. SPARK grants are awarded to community-based initiatives that support health and well-being in local communities, reflect community priorities and demonstrate the ability to create lasting change.
BCBSND congratulates the following 2024 spring SPARK grant recipients who successfully demonstrated innovation, sustainability and the opportunity to create lasting change in their communities.
F5 Project: Funds will promote recovery by providing culturally rooted programs within the James River Correctional Center to reduce recidivism among North Dakota’s Indigenous population.
The Akisni Warrior Lodge Curriculum was created to support the Indigenous population. The new curriculum is centered around building and healing relationships through training intensives and learning circles.
Mountrail County Medical Center: Funding will be used to partner with Stanley Ambulance Services to initiate clinically guided, prehospital care via virtual care screens in the back of the ambulances.
This virtual care option will allow for peer-to-peer emergency support for medical professionals to offer the best quality of care, especially for those in rural communities in need of access.
TNT Kids Fitness: Funds will allow TNT to implement ABLE in School programming into more schools across North Dakota. The ABLE in School curriculum provides educators and school districts resources to create physical education spaces for all abilities.
ABLE in School encourages teachers to adapt physical education by using a peer-to-peer model to build strong bonds among unlikely student groups that go beyond the gym. The functional fitness element allows for enhancement of physical, social and emotional well-being.