Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford partner on #MIKidsCan Contest to bring focus to childhood health

DETROIT, Sept. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In partnership with Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is launching the #MIKidsCan Contest, asking Michigan kids ages 7 - 14 to share their favorite way to be active to encourage other children to get moving to live healthier lives. Kids can enter the #MiKidsCan Contest by making a two-minute video or submitting a photo and short essay answering the question, "What's your favorite way to get moving and be active?" Entries must be submitted by October 29 at AHealthierMichigan.org/mikidscan. A winner will be selected in both categories.

The #MIKids Contest supports BCBSM's ongoing commitment to children's health and its #MIKidsCan campaign – an initiative focused on encouraging kids to adopt healthy habits early in life that are more likely to be carried into adulthood. Childhood obesity is an epidemic, impacting a third of Michigan's children. Less than 40 percent of children in the state get the 60 minutes of physical activity a day recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The #MIKidsCan campaign will collaborate with families to emphasize the benefits of eating right and being physically active.

The winner of the video portion of the #MIKids Contest will receive an assembly for their school or a meet and greet for their children's favorite organization with Matthew Stafford. The winner of the photo and essay contest will receive tickets to the Detroit Lions Thanksgiving game and autographed Detroit Lions gear.

Submissions are being accepted now through Oct. 29. In November, three video semifinalists and three photo/essay semifinalists will be selected and notified and their submissions will be posted on AHealthierMichigan.org for a two-week, public voting period.

"Blue Cross has long been committed to improving the health of children in Michigan, and now we're asking children to join us in this important cause," said Andrew Hetzel, vice president of Corporate Communications, BCBSM. "By asking kids to share the ways they are active with others, we hope to inspire more Michigan children to have fun while getting exercise every day.  Our goal is to get kids excited about their health and to motivate them to lead active lifestyles by understanding exercise can be fun. The combination of regular exercise and healthy eating can set our kids up for a lifetime of success and fewer serious health concerns as they grow into adulthood."

Guidelines for contest submissions are as follows:

• All submissions for the contest should creatively answer the question: "What's your favorite way to get moving and be active?"
• Entries should demonstrate how physical activity can be a fun part of a child's everyday life.
• Video submissions should be no more than two-minutes long and can be made on a digital recording device such as a Smartphone, iPod, iPad, Flip video or webcam.
• All photographs should be submitted with a 200-300 word essay.

The #MIKidsCan Contest is an extension of BCBSM's ongoing efforts to help Michigan families make good choices leading to healthier lives. With a focus on improving children's health, over the last 10 years, BCBSM has given more than $6 million in support of kids' health and wellness initiatives across the state, reaching more than 100,000 children. For more information on the #MIKidsCan Contest and BCBSM's ongoing efforts to help improve childhood health, visit http://www.AHealthierMichigan.org/mikidscan or follow #MIKidsCan on Twitter.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit mutual insurance company, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. BCBSM provides and administers health benefits to more than 4.4 million members residing in Michigan in addition to employees of Michigan-headquartered companies who reside outside the state. For more company information, visit bcbsm.com  and MiBluesPerspectives.com.

SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan