Through the Secret Santa Program, employees from Capital Blue Cross, Pennsylvania Blue Shield and their subsidiaries select, buy and wrap presents for children from five counties. The last of the donated gifts will be boxed up for delivery at Capital Blue Cross' headquarters building at 2500 Elmerton Ave. This employee holiday spirit has touched the lives of 20,000 less fortunate children in Dauphin, Cumberland, Lancaster, Perry and York counties since the program's inception 12 years ago. Employees can't wait to participate in this program and do so very generously. The companies get names of children, identified only by first name, age and sex, from the county Children and Youth agencies and Capital Area Head Start.
Employees select a child, or children, from the lists and purchase items on each child's wish list.
The gifts are then distributed to the families of these children by the Children and Youth caseworkers and Head Start daycare providers, in time for Christmas. There's a great atmosphere in the building on the day we pack up the gifts because the employees feel so good about what they are doing to brighten someone else's Christmas. Capital Blue Cross and Pennsylvania Blue Shield serve more than 1.4 million members in 21 counties in Central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley.