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Government Employees Health Association, Inc. ("GEHA,"), Kansas City, Missouri, United States: The Joe Delaney Learn to Swim Program Presented by GEHA

Company: Government Employees Health Association, Inc. (“GEHA,”)
Nomination Submitted by: MERGE
Company Description: TBD
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year - At Organizations With Up to 2,500 Employees
2024 Stevie Winner Nomination Title: The Joe Delaney Learn to Swim Program Presented by GEHA
  1. Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the achievements of the nominated organization since January 1 2022, OR written answers to the questions for this category? (Choose one):
    Written answers to the questions
  2. If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.

    N/A

  3. If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Briefly describe the nominated organization: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):

    Total 200 words used.

    GEHA (Government Employees Health Association, Inc., pronounced G.E.H.A.) is a nonprofit member association that provides medical and dental benefits to over 2 million federal employees and retirees, military retirees and their families. Offering one of the largest medical and dental benefit provider networks available to federal employees in the United States, GEHA empowers health and wellness by meeting its members where they are, when they need care.

    Headquartered in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, with approximately 1,500 employees, GEHA is committed to its members and their communities. The company is known for its extensive commitment to health equity, particularly in underserved communities.

    GEHA has gained civic recognition by being named one of the top 100 Healthiest Workplaces in America, recognized by the Stevies 21st Annual American Business Awards® as a Gold winner for the Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year and Bronze winner for an Achievement in Corporate Social Responsibility (both with UMKC’s School of Dentistry), 2022 Corporate Partner of the Year for the Mid-America LGBT Chamber of Commerce, the 2022 Nonprofit Champion of Diversity for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, named a top 20 finalist for the 2022 NACD Diversity, Equity and Inclusion award. 

  4. If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Outline the organization's achievements since the beginning of 2022 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):

    Total 250 words used.

    The New York Times published a sobering headline: “Drowning is No. 1 Killer of Young Children. U.S. Efforts to Fix It Are Lagging.” For GEHA, it was a reminder of a reality the company resolved to combat when 13-year-old Emmanuel Solomon drowned at a public pool in GEHA’s hometown of Kansas City in 2021.

    Emmanuel never learned to swim – a legacy of segregation where Black families were only allowed to use public pools on the last day of the season. The following summer, GEHA resolved to make a difference by providing children in that specific neighborhood with free swimming lessons and gear, including suits, goggles, sunscreen and towels donated by GEHA employees.

    In 2022, GEHA partnered with the Hunt Family Foundation/Kansas City Chiefs and founded the Joe Delaney Learn to Swim Program Presented by GEHA, named after Chiefs running back who drowned while rescuing three children. Donating $50,000, GEHA expanded the lessons and swimming equipment into more neighborhoods – reaching another 687 children from culturally diverse communities. 

    This year, $10,000 was provided to Delaney’s hometown of Haughton, La., through the Delaney 37 Foundation, organized by Delaney’s widow and daughters. Now, GEHA has further extended support – providing $5,000 for swimming/aquatic safety lessons/gear for children in every community where the Chiefs play away games, totaling $40,000 by the end of the 2023-24 NFL season. Over 1,600 children in 10 cities will have received access to aquatic safety/swimming lessons by the end of 2023. 

  5. If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the organization's past performance (up to 250 words):

    Total 245 words used.

    The USA Swimming Foundation estimates that 64% of black children in the U.S. cannot swim and are six times more likely to drown than white children. This reflects a horrific legacy of diminished access that prevented the great-grandparents, grandparents and parents of today’s children from learning to swim. As Dr. Sadiqa A.I. Kendi of Boston Medical Center told the Times, “A parent who has never learned to swim yields an 87% chance that a child won’t either.” 

    GEHA’s efforts are unique and significant for three very important reasons. First, GEHA has shown how effective intentional grassroots efforts can be when focused on health equity and understanding a community’s needs and history. Nearly 100% of participants in the swimming lessons, many of whom had never been submerged, gained swimming proficiency. Second, addressing the social determinants of health and racial disparities in healthcare creates lasting trust, impact, and program scalability. The path of least resistance would have been to simply provide grant funding for support. However, GEHA understood that if a child doesn’t know how to swim, they are highly unlikely to possess the items that serve as barriers to entry for participation. Third, by making this a national initiative supported by health disparity statistics, GEHA used its position as a health benefits leader to create lasting changes in its member communities that create generational ripple effects in wellness and access to services. This work inspired others, locally and throughout the US, to give.

  6. You have the option to answer this final question: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):

    Total 244 words used.

     Select media coverage of our program: 

Attachments/Videos/Links:
The Joe Delaney Learn to Swim Program Presented by GEHA
URL www.kctv5.com/2022/07/11/children-take-advantage-free-swimming-lessons-kck-pool/