PRESS RELEASE

Lorina Marshall-Blake inducted into Overbrook High School Hall of Fame

IBC Foundation president joins other notables, including Wilt Chamberlain and Rep. Chaka Fattah

Philadelphia, PA — May 9, 2014 — Lorina Marshall-Blake, president of the Independence Blue Cross Foundation will be inducted into the Overbrook High School Hall of Fame tonight at the school’s 23rd annual award banquet, held at the Bala Golf Club in Philadelphia. Ms. Marshall-Blake, who graduated from Overbrook High in 1968, is being recognized for her civic and corporate leadership, and for her commitment to helping underserved populations, including area youth and women. Marshall-Blake joins nearly 90 others in Overbrook’s Hall of Fame, including Wilt Chamberlain, Rep. Chaka Fattah, and Pulitzer-Prize winner Acel Moore.

Marshall-Blake will be joined by two other honorees, Dr. H. Ronald Kaback, an award winning medical scientist and Rev. James P. Baker, community leader and business consultant.

Marshall-Blake has been a role model for community activism for decades, not only in her own involvement in more than 30 different organizations, but in inspiring others to give back. She’s worked with the Coalition of 100 Black Women to help promote leadership development and gender equity, and CORA, which provides programs to at-risk children, youth, and families. Marshall-Blake has been recognized by numerous organizations including the Girl Scouts of Southeastern PA and Girls, Inc, a nonprofit organization that serves young women and their families throughout the Delaware Valley. Additionally, she has brought attention to health disparities and has been actively involved with American Heart Association campaigns.

In addition to serving as the President of the IBC Foundation, Marshall-Blake is also vice president of Community Affairs for Independence Blue Cross and is a registered lobbyist in Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. She began her professional career as an administrative assistant. Within eight years of starting as an assistant to the president of Philadelphia Gas Works, Marshall-Blake was promoted to vice president of government and community relations. She joined Independence Blue Cross in 1991 working with local, state, and federal legislators, as well as agencies, on matters relevant to Independence Blue Cross. She became the president of the Independence Blue Cross Foundation, founded in 2011 to transform health care through innovation in the communities it serves.

About the Independence Blue Cross Foundation
The Independence Blue Cross Foundation is a charitable, private foundation, whose mission is leading solutions for a healthier community. The foundation targets the following areas of impact:

• Securing the Blue Safety Net: Supporting private, nonprofit community health center clinics that provide access to quality, affordable healthcare in medically underserved areas.
• Bolstering the Health Care Workforce: Strengthening the nursing, primary care, and allied health workforce through education, career development, and research.
• Addressing Health Priorities:  Collaborating with wellness partners to tackle the region’s most pressing health challenges; currently combating the obesity epidemic through the IBC Foundation Healthy Futures Initiative.
• Building healthy communities: Partnering with community leaders and programs to address community health and wellness needs.

Learn more by visiting our website: www.ibxfoundation.org.  Connect with the Independence Blue Cross Foundation on Twitter at @ibxfdn.

Media Contact
Ruth Stoolman
Independence Blue Cross
ruth.stoolman@ibx.com
215-241-4807 (office)
215-280-3335 (cell)

© 2013 Independence Blue Cross Foundation
Independence Blue Cross and the Independence Blue Cross Foundation are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, serving the needs of Philadelphia and southeastern Pennsylvania.