Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation Grant Boosts Wellness at Mississippi College

Blue Cross Blue Shield Mississippi Foundation leaders presented a check for $274,620 to Mississippi College on October 30 to construct a walking trail, hire staff and take other steps to enhance wellness on the MC campus in Clinton and in the community.Foundation Executive Director Sheila Grogan joins MC President Lee Royce, school administrators and students for a photo on the steps of Nelson Hall following the announcement.

Thanks to a grant of nearly $275,000 from the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation, Mississippi College will construct a walking track and enhance wellness programs, including the MoveMC program for university employees that began in 2012.

Sheila Grogan, Executive Director of the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation presented a check for $274,620 to President Lee Royce and other school leaders on October 30, 2014 on the Mississippi College campus in Clinton.

"We deeply appreciate this generous grant from the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation that opens the door for Mississippi College to strengthen its wellness initiatives," said President Royce. "The new walking track and greater emphasis on wellness programs will strengthen healthy lifestyles for the entire university family, and thanks to the Foundation's support, MC, faculty, staff, students and the Clinton community will see benefits for years to come.”

 “The Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation has a vision for a healthy Mississippi and provides targeted grants to improve the health of Mississippians,” said Grogan. “We applaud the efforts of Mississippi College as they partner with the Foundation to build a framework that nurtures a healthy campus environment that extends into the Clinton community and school district though the MoveMC initiative.”

The grant helps Mississippi College integrate healthy eating, tobacco cessation and exercise into the culture of the campus and Clinton area, and Mississippi College administrators, faculty, students and MC supporters believe the grant is a step in the right direction to assist people in establishing healthy lifestyles.

“I believe this will get a very good response from students,” said kinesiology graduate assistant Travis Twilbeck, 25, of Paris, Tennessee. “People realize they need to start a fitness habit now.”

The grant also enables Mississippi College to hire a wellness coordinator in June as well as a graduate assistant and Department of Kinesiology Department student worker who will work together to plan activities targeting the MC family and surrounding community. The wellness coordinator will assist with new fitness programs and teach classes on the Clinton campus as well as enhance community activities available at the Baptist Healthplex.

Kinesiology professor Suzanne McDonough says the new grant will be a tremendous boost to the wellness programs already in place on the Clinton campus.

“This will be the ideal thing to happen with our Wellness Committee,” she said.

The Kinesiology Department has worked with the Wellness Committee on a number of efforts to promote healthy lifestyles on the Clinton campus including the Hap Hudson 5K Homecoming Road Race each fall and a new program seeking to encourage exercise and eating a healthy diet for MC freshmen.

The new walking track is creating the most buzz on the Clinton campus.

“The walking track will be a big plus for public health in our area,” said Jon Phillips, 23, an MC kinesiology graduate student. “It will be a good, safe place to exercise in an area that will be well-lighted during the evening hours.”

Kinesiology Department Chairman Chris Washam adds, “We are excited to have the new walking track.”

The 1/3-mile walking trail, to be built near MC’s Longabaugh Soccer Field, will take about three months to construct.

Visit www.healthiermississippi.org to learn more about the work of the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation.