The PCA Blog - Arizona

PCA-Arizona Awarded $16,000 Grant From Cigna Foundation

11.29.2018


Phoenix, Arizona - PCA-Arizona has been awarded a $16,000 Healthier Communities Grant from the Cigna Foundation: The funds will enable PCA-Arizona to make a positive impact in underserved schools and youth sports organizations across Arizona.

“We at PCA-Arizona are extremely grateful to the Cigna Foundation for this grant, which will underwrite numerous workshops that teach valuable life lessons for coaches, student-athletes and parents throughout Arizona,” said Rich Tomey, Chapter Executive Director. “Cigna and PCA both share a common mission to provide the young children of Arizona with a positive learning environment both on and off the field that will last a lifetime, and promote healthy lifestyles for generations.”

"The Cigna Foundation is proud to support Positive Coaching Alliance," said Kim Shepherd, market president for Cigna in Arizona. “Anyone who has competed in organized sports know how much a child can learn on the fields of play. Ensuring that young athletes have a positive, character-building experience can keep kids on a healthier path for the rest of their lives.”

Every coach, student-athlete and parent involved with the selected Youth Sports Organizations (YSO) and schools will have an opportunity to learn and benefit from PCA tools and concepts. The ability to work with coaches, student-athletes and parents through live, interactive educational workshops will enrich the development of a culture that utilizes sports as a means of teaching character education and life lessons. It will also leave a lasting legacy for Cigna, as PCA lessons foster character development that last a lifetime and can break the negative youth-sports cycle forever. Athletic fields are classrooms, that ultimately teach us our greatest lessons in life and provide a springboard to excel both in the classroom which will lead to improved personal and community health.

Some of the lessons learned will be:

Leadership Training: sets the table for success by aligning School Administrators, Staff and Coaches to achieve great things. Topics include:

  • Culture-shaping skills development for leaders
  • Elements of a positive coaching culture
  • Structural pillars and maintenance of a positive culture
  • Development of an organization-specific development plan

Coach Training: introduces PCA's Double-Goal Coach model and presents research from experts in coaching, education and sports psychology. Every participant gains access to practical, proven tools that they can immediately begin using in their next practice or competition. Topics include an in-depth review of the three principles of Positive Coaching:

  • ELM Approach to Building a Mastery Environment
  • Filling of Emotional Tanks for Optimal Performance
  • Honoring the Game

Student-Athlete Training: educates high-school athletes on becoming a Triple-Impact Competitor who strives to improve themselves, their teammates and the game. Outcomes include:

  • Inspiration to value competitors and respect rules, officials and the game
  • Education of powerful sports psychology techniques to improve performance
  • Player self-confidence, resiliency, response to adversity, self-control and mental toughness

About the Cigna Foundation

The Cigna Foundation, founded in 1962, is a private foundation funded by contributions from Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) and its subsidiaries. The Cigna Foundation is committed to working together with nonprofit organizations that are creating innovative approaches to improving the health and security of individuals and communities everywhere. The Foundation’s primary grant making focus is on health equity, with an emphasis on sharing the expertise and energies of Cigna's people with our nonprofit partners.

About Cigna

Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) is a global health service company dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being and sense of security. All products and services are provided exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, including Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Life Insurance Company of North America, Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York, or their affiliates. Such products and services include an integrated suite of health services, such as medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, vision, supplemental benefits, and other related products including group life, accident and disability insurance. Cigna maintains sales capability in over 30 countries and jurisdictions, and has more than 95 million customer relationships throughout the world. To learn more about Cigna®, including links to follow us on Facebook or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com. For more information about Cigna's proposed acquisition of Express Scripts, please visit www.advancinghealthcare.com.

About Positive Coaching Alliance

Founded in 1998 at Stanford University, Positive Coaching Alliance is a national 501C3 nonprofit organization dedicated to developing “better athletes and better people.” PCA has developed a variety of programs and resources for youth and high school athletes, coaches, sport leaders, parents, and officials. These include “live” educational workshops as well as online courses, published books, and articles. All of our programs are research-based and are delivered by PCA trainers who have deep coaching experience and are equipped with the latest research in sports and educational psychology. We also leverage alliances with nationally recognized coaches, athletes, professors, businesses and national youth sports organizations, many of whom also serve as members of PCA’s National Advisory Board.Specifically, our programs and activities are designed to develop:

  • The Double-Goal Coach®, whose first goal is winning and whose second and more important goal is teaching life lessons through sports.
  • The Second-Goal Parent®, who concentrate on life lessons while letting coaches and athletes focus on competing;
  • The Triple-Impact Competitor®, who strives to impact sport on three levels, by improving themselves, their teammates, and the game overall

For information on PCA-Arizona, contact:

Rich Tomey
Executive Director, PCA-Arizona
Rich_Tomey@positivecoach.org 
602-647-2864