For Vanessa Ogbu, signing up to mentor an Oakland high school student through the trials and tribulations of entering college seemed as natural as smiling on a sunny day. The Blue Shield of California senior manager of quality improvement remembers growing up in a middle-class home in Santa Cruz with her parents always striving to teach her and her siblings about the virtues of giving back to the community.

Blue Shield was an enthusiastic partner for the Oakland Park & Recreation Town Camp Health & Wellness Week.

Blue Shield has partnered with KaBOOM! since 2015. This year, as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to its new corporate home, Blue Shield volunteers constructed a playground for Yu Ming Public Charter School in Oakland.

As the official move of Blue Shield of California’s headquarters to downtown Oakland grows closer, the company’s high energy, employee volunteer events are reaching residents across the four corners of the city.

Even before Blue Shield officially moves into its new downtown Oakland home base, the company is making serious efforts to positively affect the city’s business economy. A large company such as Blue Shield has ongoing supply needs in multiple areas — and it’s actively seeking out diverse local suppliers to fill them.

When Blue Shield of California began planning a summit in Oakland to inspire women at all levels to lead, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf was the immediate and ideal choice to be a keynote at the event. Her leadership as the chief executive of the City of Oakland captured the essence of the event: “Women Lead to Excellence (WL2X)” – the name of the Employee Resource Group.