Aetna Helps MLK’s Dream Blossom

I don’t know about all of you, but i’m pretty sad that The Cherry Blossom Festival is over here in DC. Every spring the city comes alive at the site of the first blossoms of the District’s historic cherry trees. The National Mall is filled with even more beauty than usual during this 3 week period. Thanks to Aetna, there will be even more beauty to be seen next year.

Aetna recently announced that it has donated $1.275 million to support the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project. Construction of the Memorial has already begun and it is set to be dedicated on August 28, 2011. Aetna’s gift to the memorial will allow for 185 new cherry trees to be planted at the memorial, and will be seen by Cherry Blossom Festival visitors for years to come.

Aetna has been actively addressing racial and ethnic disparities in health care for years and, according to the company, was the first insurer to invite its members to share racial and ethnic information.

“Dr. King taught us that ‘America’s true strength lies in its diversity of talents,’ and that our future rests on hope and possibility,” CEO and President Mark Bertolini said. “His vision rings very true among Aetna employees and the people we serve every day.”

For more information about Aetna’s role in this project visit http://www.communityvitality.com/. Check out the video below to see a preview of the MLK Jr. National Memorial:

—————————————————————-