Blue Cross Blue Shield Employees Help Save the Harbor Keep Area Beaches Clean

Photo 1: Amanda Cummings and Hollie Alexander of Weymouth spent their service day in the sun while pulling weeds on Carson Beach

Photo 2: 80 Blue Cross Blue Shield employees helped keep South Boston’s beaches clean in partnership with the DCR and Save the Harbor/Save the Bay

On September 16th, Blue Cross Blue Shield held their 5th annual corporate-wide service day: One Community. One Blue. More than 3,000 BCBS employees participated in service projects across the state. 80 of those employees, including Amanda Cummings and Hollie Alexander of Weymouth, chose to spend their day helping Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the Department of Conservation and Recreation maintain the cleanest urban beach in America by removing 18 tons of trash, overgrown brush, and debris.

Site coordinator Amy Eve led the efforts of the 80 Blue Cross Blue Shield employees in South Boston at Carson Beach, M Street Beach, K Street Beach, and City Point in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and Save the Harbor/Save the Bay staff. The eight teams accomplished a great deal of work throughout the day from Pleasure Bay to the McCormack Bath House removing weeds and overgrowth, painting shade shelters, and sweeping sand back onto the beaches.

The Blue Crew’s efforts were most apparent along the walk way around the Sugar Bowl. They worked incredibly hard to remove truckloads of brush and debris that had pilled up along the fence. After all was said and done, the teams repainted 16 shade shelters, removed eight tons of organic material such as weeds and shrubs, collected 10 tons of trash and debris, and swept sand away from four beach accessible ramps and six sets of stairs.

Bruce Berman, Director of Strategy, Communications and Programs at Save the Harbor was delighted to see how much the Blue Crew had accomplished in such a short amount of time. “We are glad to have Blue Cross Blue Shield as a partner for their day of service,” he said. “We value their continued support and commitment to our community and mission to protect the Boston Harbor and its surrounding beaches. When government, non-profits, and responsible corporate partners come together, we can accomplish a lot for our communities.”

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is a non-profit, public interest harbor advocacy organization made up of thousands of citizens as well as civic, corporate, cultural and community leaders and scientists. Our mission is to restore and protect Boston Harbor, Massachusetts Bay, and the marine environment and share them with the public for all to enjoy.

To find out more about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, visit our website at savetheharbor.org and follow savetheharbor on Facebook and Twitter.