Working with Girl Scouts, Wellpoint Helps San Antonio-Area Girls “Choose Kindness”

Wellpoint Texas is focused on whole-person health. For many families in the communities Wellpoint serves, that means preventing bullying — and addressing it when it happens. 

“Bullying can significantly harm a person's emotional and physical well-being,” said Gabriela Lara, a Wellpoint community relations representative. “We want to empower these kids and help them support others.” 

That’s why Wellpoint partnered with the Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas to create the Choose Kindness patch. This initiative helps San Antonio-area girls prevent and address the bullying they see at school and online — advancing Wellpoint’s work to improve children’s physical, emotional, and social well-being now and as they grow into adulthood. 

“The Choose Kindness curriculum helps girls understand emotions — including their own emotions — so they're aware of how they're acting and can help stop bullying when it happens,” said Stephanie Finleon Cortez, Chief Development and Communications Officer for the Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas.  

Together, Wellpoint and the Girl Scouts developed a comprehensive Choose Kindness curriculum built on empathy, kindness, and healthy relationships — all helping to boost whole-person health and resiliency.  

During a camp this summer at the West Side Girl Scout Leadership Center, Girl Scouts of all ages participated in a variety of Choose Kindness activities. In one classroom, girls crafted puppets to help them express and manage emotions. In another, Girl scouts colorfully and creatively illustrated positive words to encourage empathy and self-esteem — as one young girl explained, "That way, no one feels bad." 

“Knowing the difference between positive words and negative words helps girls learn the right ones to say,” Finleon Cortez said. 

This year alone, more than 1,300 San Antonio-area girls earned the Choose Kindness patch. This initiative has also received attention in the San Antonio media; see this KENS5 story, “Girl Scouts of America tackle bullying with empathy and courage.” 

“This partnership ensures that hundreds of girls from this community can learn these valuable lessons. That makes a big difference,” Lara said. “Programs like Choose Kindness help us improve not only physical health, but behavioral health as well.”