Helping Kids Thrive

During a recent “Field Day” event at the Boys & Girls Club in Germantown, some children were busy making cover art for their new journals, while others leapt and wriggled to the music, challenging each other to do the silliest dance. Some kids circled a large nylon parachute, tugging at the edges, calling out to teammates to control the trajectory of a ball as it swooped from side to side; others created sensory bottles by mixing food coloring, oil, and water.

Assisting those kids with their colorful and messy work was Helen Shoffner, an executive assistant at Independence Blue Cross (IBX), and member of the company’s “Blue Crew,” a team of employee-volunteers. Her son and grandson had both attended the Germantown Club when they were younger.

“I learned early on the importance of this organization, and the positive impact they have on our children,” said Shoffner. “I learned to trust the staff, as they took a real interest in the care and well-being of the many kids at the Club during the after-school and summer camp programs.” She hopes to return to volunteer there again.

Her experience is typical, according to Courtney McDade, director of Public Affairs programs at IBX. The Blue Crew volunteer program “enhances the health of the communities [it serves], but also the well-being of our employees through volunteering,” she says. “It’s a win-win: It benefits our employees, and the nonprofit organizations involved.”

In Germantown that day, the kids had no idea that the activities they were participating in were teaching them self-expression, collaboration, mutual respect, and team building. But the Club staff, and two dozen Blue Crew volunteers from IBX, were fully aware.

IBX is working with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia to promote youth mental health and well-being as part of a national Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) initiative. Nationally, the BCBSA is investing $10 million over four years to help Boys & Girls Clubs of America implement trauma-informed practices in its more than 5,200 Clubs by 2026. It’s one more way the organization’s Clubs are evolving to support the emotional well-being of the 3.6 million children they serve. The training, offered to volunteers and workers in six monthly sessions, provides tools to better engage kids who have experienced trauma in any form as a result of the pandemic: generational trauma, or feelings of anxiety, depression, and distress related to early childhood experiences.

“[Boys & Girls Clubs] are already doing great work in the communities they serve,” says McDade. “This program will provide additional support and resources to staff members, ensuring that they have the tools they need to foster a foundation for a healthier, more resilient future for the kids they serve.”

The partnership comes at a significant moment in the mental health of America’s youth. According to research released by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, rates of anxiety among 13- to 18-year-olds rose steadily between 2017 and 2021, and rates of ADHD and depression grew roughly 50% during the same period. According to a 2024 report published in peer-reviewed medical journal JAMA, rates of anxiety and depression among youth have nearly doubled in the years since, when compared to pre-pandemic levels. An estimated 1 in 5 adolescents have shown noticeable symptoms of depression or anxiety, especially those who have experienced adverse childhood experiences.

“Just like the rest of the country, our region is facing a rising youth mental health crisis that requires comprehensive strategies to equip kids for the challenges they encounter at school, home, and in daily life,” said Gregory E. Deavens, president and CEO of Independence Health Group, which includes Independence Blue Cross. “At IBX, we are fully committed to addressing this issue head on and ensuring that our youth have the support and resources they need to thrive.”

IBX has expanded its behavioral health offerings to better support its members’ whole health, including adding more mental health and substance use disorder services and member programs. The company has also been focused on youth mental health, evidenced by initiatives like the HeadFirst program with the Philadelphia Union Foundation and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, which enhances mental fitness for youth soccer players. In addition, the Independence Blue Cross Foundation expanded its Philadelphia school-based mental health initiative.

“Everybody working with kids, boots on the ground, has seen the long-term effects of what [the] isolation [of the pandemic] has done to our young people,” concurs Libby Lescalleet, executive vice president of Programs, Partnerships, and Development at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia. “There have been a lot of initiatives, but this one is working on meeting young people in the place they feel most comfortable and safe.”

Within the walls of the Club, Lescalleet says, youngsters open up and willingly talk about what they have been through, and “you hear about their lingering anxiety. Whether it’s the intrinsic trauma from being isolated, or they may have lost family members, or in some cases someone they love is still sick. The kids have been through a lot.”

“We live here, we work here, and we are committed to making our neighborhoods better places for us all.”

Each of the six months of training focused on a different issue facing young people, including generational trauma, how teen boys and teen girls might react differently to a situation, LGTBQ youth, and how to react to a child in emotional distress. “The training elevates our responses to different types of situations; it makes you feel empowered to approach a kid who is struggling,” said Jamie Shipton, unit director at the Bridesburg Boys & Girls Club. “We always want to jump in wherever needed, but this teaches you to take that second to stop and think before you act. When you take time, you may decide to approach in a different way.”

“If a kid is having a full meltdown, you walk in calm,” she continues. “You let them know you’re there. Sometimes you give them space, or say, ‘When you’re ready to talk, let me know, because I am ready, too.’”

The training also taught her that sometimes, asking questions is the most effective way to help. “‘What do you need? What do you need from me?’ can be the most helpful thing to say,” she says. “Even if they are not ready to answer, you are letting them know you are there.”

“In many ways, we’ve been doing this kind of work, but we didn’t have the shared language or context,” Lescalleet adds. “The training lets us understand our work within the framework of trauma.”

IBX employees have participated in at least one volunteer project at over 70 different nonprofit organizations across Southeastern Pennsylvania in the last year. This includes events like the Field Day at the Boys & Girls Club in Germantown. “The volunteers talked about what an amazing day they had,” said McDade. “They loved connecting with the kids and supporting an organization like Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia, which is making such a positive impact on the lives of so many. Many volunteers have shared that they plan to volunteer again with Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia and to continue to support this initiative.”

“We live here, we work here, and we are committed to making our neighborhoods better places for us all,” she adds. “Efforts like this align with our mission to enhance the health and well-being of the communities we serve.”

LUCY DANZIGER is a journalist, author and the former editor-in-chief of Self magazine, Women Sports & Fitness, and The Beet.