Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Detroit Lions team up to tackle childhood obesity with #MIKidsCan Play like a Lion Challenge

DETROIT, July 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is teaming up with the Detroit Lions to tackle childhood obesity by partnering on the Lions' "Play 60" campaign, an initiative to encourage kids to get 60 minutes of physical activity each day. To celebrate the partnership and get kids active this summer, Blue Cross has created the #MIKidsCan Play like a Lion Challenge. As part of Blue Cross's ongoing #MIKidsCan initiative, kids across the state can pledge to "Play like a Lion" for a chance to earn one of 10 VIP experiences at Ford Field when the Lions take on the New York Jets Thursday, Aug. 13.  

"Blue Cross is a natural and proud partner with the Lions' Play 60 campaign," said Andy Hetzel, vice president of corporate communications for Blue Cross. "It highlights our shared goal of improving kids' health and is a natural extension of Blue Cross' ongoing efforts in the community to engage kids around daily exercise and healthy food choices. The #MIKidsCan Play like a Lion Challenge is a great way to kickoff this collaboration by letting kids know that practicing healthy habits can be a lot of fun."

Challenge details:

• Kids ages 6-12 are eligible to participate.
• Each participant will pledge to complete four, weekly health activities during July, with the permission of their parents/guardians.
• Upon completion of the challenge, 10 grand prize winners will be selected to participate in a VIP experience, along with a friend, which includes on-field activities and a player meet and greet at the Lions' Aug. 13 game at Ford Field.
• Each winner receives four tickets to attend the game.
• Winners will be announced Aug. 6.

"Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's continued investment and dedication to improved health and wellness aligns perfectly with the core values of the Detroit Lions' Play 60 initiative," said Senior Vice President of Marketing and Partnerships Elizabeth Parkinson. "The #MIKidsCan Play like a Lion Challenge is another great example of how both the Lions and Blue Cross can leverage our partnership to aid Michigan's youth in forming healthy habits to last a lifetime."

Upon registration for the challenge, parents have the option of creating a customized Play 60 trading card with their child's photo. Parents can also share photos of their kids completing the four challenges for an opportunity to win weekly, prize giveaways of autographed Matthew Stafford gear.  One winner will be randomly selected each week from photo submissions using the hashtags #MIKidsCan and #Contest. Parents can get more information on the challenge and register their kids to participate at AHealthierMichigan.org/mikidscan. 

#MIKidsCan Play like a Lion supports Blue Cross'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. Over the last 10 years, Blue Cross 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 Play like a Lion Challenge and Blue Cross's ongoing efforts to help improve childhood health, visit 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