Hundreds of Blue Shield of California employees volunteered their time to make personalized cards for those in need of some cheer. This day of service also honors Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, whose activism helped improve the lives of marginalized communities.
In honor of labor and civil rights leaders Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, hundreds of Blue Shield of California employees, including some in San Diego, volunteered to make cards for people battling cancer on Monday.
It's all part of the second annual statewide Blue Shield "Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta Day of Service," which took place on Cesar Chavez Day and the last day of Women's History Month. The event honors the two civil rights champions' legacy of service.
According to Blue Shield of California, 300 employees across the state volunteered with nonprofits dedicated to social justice, food access, environmental sustainability and improving the lives of marginalized communities — all core aspects of Chavez and Huerta's activism.
In San Diego, the volunteers wrote Spanish and English letters to those recently diagnosed with breast cancer through Girls Love Mail and colored cards for children with cancer through the Jessie Rees Foundation.
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“These cards bring a little bit of a bright spot to someone who might have found out about some devastating news," said Tomika Houghtby, a senior specialist on the corporate citizenship team at Blue Shield of California.
Workers in the San Diego office said they expected to create 75-100 cards on Monday to pass out to patients.
