Rolling with Support: How Positive Adults and Bikes Empower Hartford Youth

More than 200 employees from The Cigna Group gathered at the company’s Bloomfield headquarters this week to build bicycles for local youth to ‘Gear Up for Good,’ an initiative that aims to engage young people through biking as a path toward better health. Following the bike build, employees cheered on cyclists participating in the Achilles International 500-mile bike relay, along with company leaders as they biked to the Samuel S. Gray, Jr. Boys & Girls Club at Asylum Hill to celebrate the donation and honor the community.

“Giving back is part of our DNA at The Cigna Group. Seeing so many of our colleagues come together to cheer on the inspiring cyclists of Achilles International and build bikes for Hartford youth was incredibly powerful - especially as a former Club kid myself,” said Melissa Skottegaard, board chair, The Cigna Group Foundation. “In a world that’s always online, helping kids unplug and build real-world connections through biking is a meaningful way to support their physical health and emotional well-being.”

During the celebration, The Cigna Group’s chairman and chief executive officer, David M. Cordani, offered brief remarks before the teens were presented with the new bikes, along with helmets and water bottles. In addition to The Cigna Group’s donation, The David & Sherry Cordani Family Foundation furthered the impact by donating additional bikes and helmets.

“With 175 new bicycles for our local Harford Clubs, we can help our teens and kids be their best selves at school, home and in the community,” said Tomeka Cole, vice president of development and communications, Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford. “But today’s celebration goes far beyond bikes. It’s about investing in the bright, promising future of Hartford’s youth. We’re grateful to The Cigna Group and The David and Sherry Cordani Family Foundation for ensuring that every Club kid who needs a bike will have one.”

The Cigna Group has a broader partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America through its philanthropic entity, The Cigna Group Foundation, which provides grant funding to help expand work with local Clubs to train staff on how to identify the signs and symptoms of youth in distress, and become trauma-informed in their policies, practices, and programs, and expand the use of its successful Behavioral Support Toolkit to all Clubs.