Elevance Health Foundation Names Professional Basketball Player Kevin Love as Next Elevance Health Champion
Today we announce professional basketball player Kevin Love as our latest Elevance Health Champion. Designed to help increase awareness for critical health challenges and raise funds for local organizations that are making a healthy difference in their communities, the Elevance Health Champion program recognizes professional athletes and organizations who have dedicated their life to leading healthy lifestyles and are actively helping to inspire others to do the same.
With one in five adults reporting that they experience some type of mental illness, more than 30% of Americans still worry about being judged by others for seeking mental health services. After publicly sharing his personal experience with mental health challenges, Love established the Kevin Love Fund (KLF) to inspire others to live their healthiest lives while providing tools for both mental and physical health. In 2021, we announced a $30 million commitment to support programs that address mental health, with an emphasis on substance use disorder. By sharing our goal of strengthening communities and improving health outcomes, Love was strategically chosen as the next Elevance Health Champion.
“At Elevance Health, we are driven by our purpose of improving the health of humanity. This means we must take a whole health approach to understand and address the physical, behavioral, and social drivers of health,” said Gail K. Boudreaux, President and CEO at Elevance Health. “The Elevance Health Foundation Champion program allows us to partner with organizations and individuals who serve as positive role models, allowing us to further strengthen our communities. The Kevin Love Fund’s free mental health curriculum for high school- and college-aged students signifies Kevin Love’s commitment to addressing behavioral health in our communities, making him a great choice as our next Elevance Health Champion.”
Love attended the University of California, Los Angeles where he played college basketball for the Bruins. Love made his NBA debut with the Minnesota Timberwolves as the fifth overall draft pick in 2008. Love is a five-time All-Star and two-time member of the All-NBA Second Team. He won an NBA Championship with the Cavaliers in 2016.
“Everyone is going through something we can’t see,” said Love. “After going through my own challenges, I want to break the stigma around mental health and ensure everyone has the support they need in order to thrive. I’m proud to be an Elevance Health Champion and look forward to continuing to share my story and raising awareness around behavioral health.”
Love joins an impressive list of other athletes as an Elevance Health Champion including Tamika Catchings, Jackie Joyner Kersee, Billie Jean King, Michael Phelps, Victor Oladipo, Eli Manning, Glenn Robinson III, and Jake Steinfeld, whose philanthropic work convey the message on improving overall public health.
The Elevance Health Champion campaign is a program within Elevance Health CARES, Inc., a public charity created to complement the work Elevance Health Foundation does to advance health equity across America. To date, this partnership, Elevance Health associates, Elevance Health Foundation and Elevance Health CARES have raised nearly $125,000 for the Kevin Love Fund. To learn more and consider joining Kevin Love and Elevance Health in promoting mental health by making a donation, please visit elevancehealth.benevity.org/community.
