Evernorth Care Group and Cigna Healthcare team up to help improve the health and vitality of local students, parents, faculty, and community.
VINCENT COUNTRY SAFE ZONE ACTIVITY DAY RETURNS TO PHOENIX DURING THE 2024 MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS TO BENEFIT
LEGACY TRADITIONAL SCHOOL – LAVEEN
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Presenting Sponsors and Media Partners Include CBS Sports, Nickelodeon, Paramount+, and
TNT Sports Whose Leadership and Staff Will Serve as Volunteers
Health and Wellness Sponsor Cigna Healthcare Will Provide Free Biometric Health and Skin Cancer Screenings to Faculty, Parents, and Members of the Surrounding Community.
Free Eye Exams and Prescription Glasses Will Be Given to All Students (K to 8th Grade)
by Evernorth Care Group
NFL Legend and Senior Executive Troy Vincent, Sr. and his wife, Tommi A. Vincent, a renowned chef, podcast host, and philanthropist, will host their eighth annual "Vincent Country Safe Zone Activity Day," a Love Thy Neighbor Community Development and Opportunity Corporation event, at Legacy Traditional School – Laveen during the 2024 Men’s College Basketball Championship Game Week in Phoenix, Arizona.
This marks the second Vincent Country Safe Zone Activity Day activation in the Phoenix area, with last year’s event taking place during Super Bowl LVII. This year’s event, themed – Shoot for the Stars – will provide over 700 students (K-5) with a day of fun, food, empowerment, and sports activities led by the Vincent Family, NFL Legends and current NFL players, special guests, as well as Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants costume character, the Arizona Cardinals cheerleaders and mascot (Big Red).
As an extension of Vincent Country Safe Zone Activity Day, 300 hundred students in grades 6-8 will participate in leadership workshops facilitated by RISE focused on community building. These students will be challenged to build the tallest possible trophy out of provided materials (e.g. straws, paper, tape) with the trophy as a metaphor for a community. Aligning with Vincent Country’s work, the students will reflect on the importance of community and leadership while considering how they can make their communities more welcoming and respectful. RISE is a national nonprofit that educates and empowers the sports community to eliminate racial discrimination, champion social justice, and improve race relations. On Friday, students will attend the festivities taking place at the Phoenix Convention Center, where RISE will showcase their Champions of Change experience.
Leadership and staff members from media brands CBS Sports, Nickelodeon, Paramount +, and TNT Sports will take part in Vincent Country Safe Zone Activity Day as volunteers before and during the event at the Legacy Traditional School – Laveen.
Troy and Tommi A. Vincent, Founders of Vincent Country stated, “We are thrilled to return to the Phoenix area to host Vincent Country Safe Zone Activity Day at Legacy Traditional School – Laveen to provide their students with a day of fun, activities, and empowerment. We are especially pleased to have the partnership and support from the leadership and staff at CBS Sports, Nickelodeon, TNT Sports, and Paramount+ to work alongside Vincent Country and serve as volunteers throughout the day at the school. We are also happy to have Cigna Healthcare and Evernorth Care Group join us as our health and wellness partners to provide free health screenings to the faculty, staff, and the surrounding community, and free eye exams and glasses to the students. The focus of Vincent Country Safe Zone Activity Day is to create a personal and memorable experience for the school community and a day of fun and wellness for the students and teachers. This is one way our family fulfills our personal commitment to community by uplifting others and giving back.”
Cigna Healthcare, now in its seventh year as a partner and sponsor of Vincent Country Safe Zone Activity Day, will set up game stations for the children including skills challenges and cornhole. Free biometric health screenings and skin cancer checks will be made available during school hours for adults (18 years or older) to include school staff and members of the community at the Cigna Wellness in Motion mobile clinic. As an additional health benefit for all students, Evernorth Care Group will offer free eye exams in advance of the event and will be on-site to distribute prescription eyeglasses to all the students who need them and sunglasses to students not needing a prescription. “We are thrilled to partner again with Vincent Country to provide a day of fun and fitness to students at Legacy Traditional School – Laveen,” said Pete Chuchro, Cigna Healthcare general manager for Arizona. “The free health screenings offered at our Wellness in Motion mobile clinic will help improve the health and vitality of Legacy Traditional School parents, faculty, and community.”
“Clear eyesight is essential to learning and enjoying a full life, and we’re proud to offer on-site eye exams and provide glasses to students as part of our commitment to improving children’s health and vitality,” said Jeff Holt, president and general manager of Evernorth Care Group.
NFL FLAG-IN-SCHOOLS, a turnkey approach to help America’s Physical Education teachers build a foundation of healthy, lifelong physical activity for their students is an exciting activation zone at Vincent Country Safe Zone Activity Day. Students will have the opportunity to learn how to play flag football from NFL Global Flag Football Ambassador and NFL Legend Bobby Taylor. Through partnerships, NFL FLAG has brought flag football to thousands of schools, communities, and families around the country. Members of the Arizona Cardinals Youth Development Team will serve as captains and help facilitate the NFL FLAG zone.
“I am honored that Vincent Country chose Legacy Traditional School – Laveen as their school recipient to give our students an empowering and memorable day,” said Jermaine M. Argusta, Principal, Legacy Traditional School – Laveen. “I want to thank the Vincent Family, Cigna Healthcare, Evernorth Care Group, NFL Legends, volunteers, and sponsors who brought both the Final Four and NFL Flag Football experience here to our students. This will be a long-lasting memory for the children.”
The school will be gifted a leave-behind mural created by Giovannie, a local street artist primarily known for his large-scale murals throughout the valley specializing in portraiture and pop culture references. Athlete turned artist, his goal is to bridge the gap between art, sports, and everyday life in hopes to highlight that with a little creativity, we all can do anything we put our minds to.
NFL current players, NFL Hall of Famers, and NFL Legends attending include Coach Eddie Mason, who will facilitate and lead the day-long Vincent Country Safe Zone Activity Day exercise challenges and celebrity choreographer and dancer Markus Shields who will lead the dance fitness fun, along with Troy Vincent, Sr., Takeo Spikes, and Bobby Taylor.