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Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas Announces 2023 Volunteer of the Year
Dec. 14, 2023
ABILENE, Texas — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas has named Customer Service Manager Melisa Santoya as its 2023 Volunteer of Year in recognition of her more than 90 hours serving in the Abilene community.
Each year, BCBSTX honors an exemplary employee who makes a difference in their community through outstanding volunteer efforts. Employees are considered for this recognition by a peer or self-nomination and undergo an anonymous review process for selection.
2023 Volunteer of the Year Melisa Santoya
“My joy comes from helping someone's idea come to life, and I like being someone people can count on,” Santoya said. “It takes a village, and I enjoy being part of the village.”
Santoya has worked 25 years in the BCBSTX Abilene office, and her peers and supervisor said she pours her heart and soul into everything she does.
At work, she’s a member of the Pride Business Resource Group, March of Dimes committee and Abilene Site Engagement. In the Abilene community, she’s active in organizations, including New Horizons, Noah Project, Big Country AIDS Resources, Junior Achievement, Meals on Wheels, Abilene Corporate Olympics, West Texas Fair and Rodeo, Junior Achievement, Children's Literacy and Chamber of Commerce.
As part of her recognition, Santoya chose New Horizons to receive a $1,000 donation from BCBSTX.
“It was my honor to surprise Melisa with this much-deserved recognition for going above and beyond in the area of service,” said Jim Springfield, BCBSTX president. “BCBSTX is deeply dedicated to contributing to the well-being of the communities where we live, work and play. Being entrenched in these communities is because our employees spend an incredible amount of time serving at nonprofits.”
In addition to volunteering, Santoya loves spending time with her family, traveling and is an avid sports fan — especially the Texas Rangers, World Series Champs.
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About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) — the only statewide, customer-owned health insurer in Texas — is the largest provider of health benefits in the state, working with more than 140,000 physicians and health care practitioners, and 520 hospitals to serve more than 7 million members in all 254 counties. BCBSTX is a Division of Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) (which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Texas, Illinois, Montana, Oklahoma and New Mexico). Health Care Service Corporation is a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.