The Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health is funding 11 grant proposals across Idaho totaling more than $313,000.

The grants are being awarded from the Foundation’s Employee Community Fund, which is fueled by the generosity of Blue Cross of Idaho employees. During the organization’s 2018 annual employee giving campaign, employees donated more than $230,000.

Blue Cross employees have the option to designate where their donations are used. More than half of all donations were pledged to the Employee Community Fund, and a dollar-for-dollar company match further bolstered the campaign.

The Foundation sent out a request statewide for proposals in four funding areas — behavioral health, senior health, women and children’s health and veteran health — and received more than 25 applications.

A committee of Blue Cross of Idaho employees scored the proposals and recommended funding these 11 grants:

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH GRANTS

Women’s and Children’s Alliance | Boise. Provide counseling services for victims of domestic violence.
Care House Partnerships | Nampa. Provide funds for supervising interns from Northwest Nazarene University who will deliver mental health services.
Idaho Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers | Statewide. Provide Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy training to 29 mental health professionals to enhance services for children who have experienced abuse.

SENIOR HEALTH GRANTS

Treasure Valley Transit | Nampa. Help purchase four ADA-accessible vans to provide non-emergency medical transportation services for seniors and persons with disabilities in 17 rural communities.
Meridian Library District | Meridian. Create a Memory Lane story trail in Kleiner Park that allows seniors to reminisce about their childhoods while walking in the city park.
Treasure Valley YMCA. Establish Movement by Memory program to provide structured physical activity for individuals with mild cognitive impairment.
Malad City. Install outdoor fitness equipment, benches and light fixtures at Malad City Park.

WOMEN AND CHILDREN’S HEALTH GRANTS

Idaho Foodbank | Boise. Cooking Matters programs that help people adopt healthier habits on a tight budget.
Idaho Association for the Education of the Young.  Books for Babies kits to each newborn and mother at St. Luke’s hospitals in Jerome, Ketchum, McCall, Meridian and Nampa.

VETERAN HEALTH GRANTS

Wellness Tree Community Clinic | Twin Falls. Provide dental care to veterans in Magic Valley.
Wyakin Warrior Foundation | Boise. The Wyakin Works program helps veterans learn technical trades and secure employment.