Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska (BCBSNE) recently gave 10 interns the opportunity to attend First National Bank of Omaha’s Intern Innovation seminar on corporate social responsibility.

The two-day seminar brought together interns from surrounding companies to create a community outreach campaign.

“My favorite part was getting to meet and collaborate with interns from other companies,” Jen Bogle, a BCBSNE HR intern said. “The event encouraged us to think outside the box to solve a corporate social responsibility issue, which, in recent years, has become an important focus for many companies.”

The interns gained experience working within teams to solve a greater problem.

“It was great to experience being on a team with a variety of talents and being able to bring those talents together to find the best solution for a community engagement program,” Zach Cairney, a BCBSNE actuary intern said.

At the end of the second day, the groups presented their campaigns to a panel, which then chose one winner from each group. On the final day, First National sent the interns out to walk the walk of community outreach.

“The last day of the event we had the opportunity to demonstrate corporate social responsibility by volunteering,” Bogle said. “My group helped at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore where we had fun organizing shelves, hanging up rugs and destroying old cabinets with sledgehammers.”

Other groups volunteered to clean up litter around Carter Lake and paint a house.

The seminar also gave BCBSNE interns a window into the lives and work of other interns.

“It was exciting to collaborate with interns from other companies and learn about their different internship experiences,” Grace Dickas, a BCBSNE actuary intern said. “It made me appreciate what BCBSNE has to offer.”

The interns returned to BCBSNE with a new outlook on the company’s culture and the importance of giving back, as well as some new connections with young professionals in the metro.

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