Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Employees Will Help Guide Giant Uncle Sam Balloon in Thanksgiving Day Parade
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DETROIT, November 21, 2008 - Nineteen Detroit-area Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan employees will serve up a portion of holiday magic to children of all ages when they participate in America’s Thanksgiving Parade® Thursday, Nov. 27.
Seventeen employees will guide a giant red, white and blue balloon of a drum-playing Uncle Sam sponsored by the company, while two others will join the parade’s Distinguished Clown Corps.
Michigan Blues employee volunteers will be “red, white and ‘blues’ all over” as they and parade company handlers don Uncle Sam-style costumes. Together they will help guide Uncle Sam, one of America’s best-known patriotic icons, through downtown Detroit.
Uncle Sam is one of the parade’s two tallest balloons, measuring 45 feet high. He will be filled with 3,500 cubic feet of helium, enough to fill 400,000 ping-pong balls. The 82nd parade features more than 65 units and runs down Woodward from Mack Avenue to Congress.
In addition to the balloon handlers, “clowning around” with parade crowds as part of the Distinguished Clown Corps will be Greg Anderson of Farmington Hills, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan vice president of Corporate and Financial Investigations, and David Nelson of Novi, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan vice president and chief actuary.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit organization, provides and administers health benefits to 4.7 million members residing in Michigan in addition to members of Michigan-headquartered groups who reside outside the state. The company offers a broad variety of plans including: Traditional Blue Cross Blue Shield; Blue Preferred®, Community BlueSM and Healthy Blue IncentivesSM PPOs; Blue Care Network HMO; BCN Healthy Blue LivingSM; Flexible BlueSM plans compatible with health savings accounts; Medicare Advantage; Part D Prescription Drug plans, and MyBlueSM products in the under-age-65 individual market.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more company information, visit bcbsm.com.
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