Tampa Bay Buccaneers, UnitedHealthcare Employees Help Children Learn About Produce Gardening

Tampa Bay Buccaneers, UnitedHealthcare Employees Help Children Learn About Produce Gardening

<0> UnitedHealthcareCourtney Johnson, 612-702-7703 </0>

Tampa Bay Buccaneers players and staff, and nearly 75 UnitedHealthcare employees are joining today to distribute “Learning Gardens” to seven Title 1 grade schools in Tampa. Learning Gardens are produce gardens that enable students to help plant and nurture a garden, and learn about and sample new fruits and vegetables.

The Learning Gardens, which were built by Bucs players and staff and UnitedHealthcare employees on Sept. 8, will be planted at LaVoy Exceptional Center, Sulphur Springs, Foster, Sheehy, Edison, Potter and Graham elementary schools.

“It is extremely rewarding to team up with like-minded organizations such as UnitedHealthcare, who along with the Buccaneers, are deeply committed to the students and schools of central Florida,” said Glazer Family Foundation Co-President Darcie Glazer Kassewitz. “The ‘Learning Gardens’ program will provide each participating Buccaneers Academies school with a real, growing classroom that can be used to demonstrate healthy food choices and will leave a lasting, positive impact on these children.”

This project supports the Buccaneers Academies initiative, an educational effort that offers incentive-based programs and monthly challenges that provide fun, engaging and motivating opportunities to learn for more than 12,000 Tampa-area students. Throughout the school year, lesson plans that encourage good behavior, reading, writing and healthy lifestyles have been implemented with each Buccaneers Academy.

“UnitedHealthcare and our employees are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Buccaneers to help Florida schoolchildren learn more about healthy foods, and improve their health and well-being,” said T. David Lewis, CEO, UnitedHealthcare of Central North Florida.

This project is the latest in UnitedHealthcare’s “Do Good. Live Well.” employee volunteer initiative, whose mission is to prevent hunger and obesity, inspire service and encourage volunteerism. For more information about the benefits of volunteering and to find local opportunities to get involved, visit . Follow @DoGoodLiveWell on Twitter or “like” Do Good. Live Well. on Facebook.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers play an active role in community development through a variety of youth health and education initiatives, family outreach, and military support involving players, coaches, cheerleaders, alumni, and staff. Through team donations, engaging outreach initiatives, NFL programs, and appearances, nearly 1,000 nonprofit organizations benefit from the team's charitable endeavors throughout the year. To learn more about what the Buccaneers are doing in the community, visit .

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 and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 800,000 physicians and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. Globally, UnitedHealthcare serves more than 45 million people in health benefits and is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.

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