Boys & Girls Clubs of America announced today Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia Foundation will award twelve new Triple Play grants to local Boys & Girls Clubs in Georgia to improve the health and wellness of kids in the state. Thanks to the generous support of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia Foundation, the Triple Play program in Boys & Girls Clubs in Georgia helped more than 14,000 youth engage in regular physical activity last year.

The grants help provide programming during out-of-school time that supports a healthy, active lifestyle. Boys & Girls Clubs around the state will receive a variety of grants to support Triple Play programming, focusing on being healthy holistically through the mind, body and soul.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia Foundation will be issuing the following grants to Clubs:

• As part of a new grant this year, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, Jesse Draper Club will receive a $16,500 Impact Grant for a games room renovation. The renovation will provide much needed equipment for the indoor room that facilitates social interactions between kids and provides productive physical and mental games and activities for Club members. The gamesroom hosted a grand opening event on September 12
  
  
• Additionally, Boys & Girls Clubs of North Central Georgia, John P. & Joyce C. Stevens Club Teen Center and Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Georgia, Terrill Thomas Unit will each receive a $5,000 Focus Grant to provide programming focused on teaching the importance of healthy eating habits and being physically active. Each Club will also focus on increasing their fruit and veggie consumption or physical activity as part of the grant
  
  
• Boys & Girls Clubs of West Georgia, LaGrange Unit will receive a $5,000 Mind, Body & Soul Grant to implement Triple Play programming at their location for the first time
  
  
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta will receive a $5,000 FitnessGram Grant in order to fund improved fitness assessments and reporting
  
  
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia Foundation will also award two Clubs from Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta with $3,000 Innovation Grant to encourage Clubs to provide innovative solutions to increased physical activity, nutrition awareness or fruit and vegetable consumption in their Clubs. Clubs receiving this great include Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta's Douglas County andJesse Draper Units 
  
  
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Georgia, Terrill Thomas Unit will receive a $1,500 Gamesroom Grant to facilitate additional socialization and positive physical and mental games and activities at the Club
  
  
• Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Atlanta and Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta's East DeKalb, John H. Harland and Samuel L. Jones units will each receive a $1,000 Oasis CATCH Healthy Habits Grant to promote and encourage healthy eating and physical activities for Club members

"Many kids today are facing an uphill battle when it comes to eating right and understanding how to maintain healthy habits," said Morgan Kendrick, president of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia. "The Triple Play program and Boys & Girls Clubs are working to educate and help make healthy choices easier for kids. Through the program we are building a solid foundation of learning with activities that will help kids continue healthy habits and exercise into their adult lives."

As Boys & Girls Clubs of America's proven health and wellness program, Triple Play is a game plan for the mind, body and soul. Supported by founding sponsor The Coca-Cola Company and co-sponsor, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia Foundation, the program's three components encourage Club members to eat healthier (mind), become more physically active (body) and increase their ability to engage in healthy relationships (soul). Since the program's inception in 2005, Triple Play has made 9.2 million connections with kids.

"Triple Play continues to be one of the most utilized programs in Boys & Girls Clubs around the country – changing the opportunity equation for kid's health today," said Wayne B. Moss, BGCA's senior director of healthy lifestyles. "Without the support of our partners like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia Foundation, we would not be able to impact so many kids each year.  Triple Play provides much needed healthy lifestyles programming to kids who need it most, creating a positive foundation for them to grow and thrive as healthy, responsible adults."

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia Foundation is committed to improving health and strengthening Georgia communities. Through its Healthy Generations grant program, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia Foundation works to identify the issues most in need of attention and then directs its financial support and volunteer efforts toward improving health in those areas.  Promoting youth health and active lifestyles is an ongoing focus of the foundation.

The Triple Play grants announced today are part of a five-year, $10 million commitment from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia Foundation's parent company foundation to Boys & Girls Clubs of America to promote healthy lifestyles.  This is the fourth consecutive year Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia Foundation has awarded Triple Play grants in Georgia.