A culture of Charitable Giving

You’ll find Health New England around every corner and on your side! We support large organizations and small. We partner with social service agencies, food pantries, health and wellness programs, schools and senior centers. We help organizations raise needed funds, and we honor those who lead the way to improvements and innovations in the course of their work and their lives. Our list of sponsored events, programs and organizations is lengthy, and our beneficiaries are diverse.

Our charitable giving efforts are focused primarily in three areas: volunteerism, community benefits and sponsorships/social giving. Through these efforts, we touch thousands of organizations and countless people in the communities we serve.

One of our proudest moments to date was Feed the Valley, a initiative to help hunger relief. From south of East Longmeadow to north of Greenfield, Health New England gave surprise donations to 36 food agencies for a grand total of $100,000. Agencies were chosen based on the Community Health Needs Assessment’s findings of the largest areas with people facing hunger and where there is limited access to nutritious food. What these agencies all have in common is a desire to provide food for those who need it.

Our teams of company associates delivered good news in the form of checks to food pantries, soup kitchens and other organizations which regularly provide meals to people in need, just in time for the holiday season.

To learn more about this story, visit  hnetalk.com or view the video below.

Services and Giving Programs


Volunteerism

Through their skills, ingenuity, financial support and dedication, Health New England associates have answered the call to serve, giving back in meaningful ways that help those in need and improve our communities. There are several ways to volunteer at HNE:

  • Signature Programs in support of Health New England corporate initiatives such as participating in the Baystate Health Foundation Rays of Hope Walk and Run towards a Cure, Hot Chocolate Run for Safe Passage, the American Heart Association Pioneer Valley Heart Walk and Go Red for Women, Friends of the Homeless, and United Way of Pioneer Valley Day of Caring are leading examples.
  • Community Programs which are smaller, community-focused events that match a specific cause with a social or environmental issue in a community. Clothing drives for Dress for Success and Open Gyms, food drives for area food pantries, or participation in cultural parades are examples of this type of effort.
  • Employee Choice volunteering opportunities focus on causes that matter to our associates. Health New England associates volunteer their time to make things happen in their communities. They sit on boards and committees and participate in local government and charitable organizations that are most meaningful to them.

Community Benefits Program Funding

The Health New England Community Benefits Mission is to promote community wellness for under-served and vulnerable children and families. We are committed to meeting the identified health and wellness needs of our communities served through the combined efforts of Baystate Health, community organizations, affiliated providers and community partners.

In addition, we extend the traditional definition of health to include economic opportunity, affordable housing, quality education, safe neighborhoods, food security, arts/culture, and racism- and homophobia-free communities, all elements that are needed for individuals, families and communities to thrive.

Health New England will invest the time, talent and resources to continue the following efforts:
  1. Focus on prevention and increasing access to health and wellness care
  2. Be a resource to our communities for health information and wellness programming
  3. Sponsoring/underwriting the cost of health improvement programs focused on at-risk families and children that demonstrate improvements in community health status
  4. Focus on improvement of root causes of health disparities, including related economic development, job training and education
  5. Measure improvements in community health status that result from our efforts

Examples of past support for eligible Community Benefits Programs include:
  • Open Gym Program – targeted at children between the ages of 12 and 17 living in high risk neighborhoods in the City of Springfield
  • Square One Preschool – LAUNCH Health Curriculum that focuses on nutrition and physical activity
  • Neutral Corner, Anti-bullying Program – offered weekly at select local middle school locations
  • Link to Libraries early childhood literacy initiative
  • Partners for a Healthier Community/Live Well Springfield Kids – promotes access to healthy foods, physical activity, and improved access to care for all members of the greater Springfield Community
  • AIDS Foundation of Western Massachusetts – focused on community education on the prevention and management of AIDS
  • Farmers Market at Mason Square Health Center and High Street Health Center – in partnership with Springfield Partners for Community Action & Mason Square Health Task Force
  • Project Coach – to bridge economic, educational and social divisions facing Springfield's youth by empowering and employing teenagers to become sport coaches and academic mentors to elementary school students
  • YEAH Network (Youth Empowerment Adolescent Network) – uses research, community education and collaboration to improve the practice and policy to improve adolescent sexual health outcomes
  • MOCHA (Men of Color Health Awareness) – enables men of color to engage in an educational and social experience with the support and motivation from the membership

Sponsorships and Social Giving

We are proud of our long-time philanthropic efforts that benefit the community through programs and events in support of cultural and social programs offered in the neighborhoods served by Health New England. For example, we support local Chambers of Commerce and Rotary Club events, and our community sponsorships and social giving program allows us to be a key supporter for the Bright Nights in Forest Park, the City of Greenfield Triathlon, UMass Fine Arts Center, the Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade, the Bay Path University Women’s Conference, and many more high quality events that enhance the quality of life for many people throughout the region.

It is important that we share our funding resources equitably across the many needs of our community. As you may know, we receive numerous requests for support each year. In order to review and consider each request, we have implemented an online request process. Please be aware that, although all requests are for good causes, we are not able to fund each one.

To make a funding request, please use our online Sponsorship Request Form.

Tools & Resources

HNE

Our 

Community

At Health New England, we are deeply committed to and closely connected with our neighborhoods.

Sponsorship Requests

Sponsorship requests can be made using our online form.

About Health New England

Our mission is to improve the health and lives of the people in our communities and our passion is taking extraordinary care of our members.

If you have questions related to our Community Relations or Sponsorships, please contact sponsorships@hne.com.