Now offering health insurance in 20 states, Centene plays a major role in the wellbeing of millions of Americans. Back home in Missouri, Centene is similarly committed to building a healthy, vibrant St. Louis community.

“Charitable outreach is an important part of Centene’s business philosophy,” says Deanne Lane, Centene’s vice president of media and community relations. “Since 2004, the Centene Charitable Foundation has contributed a substantial amount of financial support to initiatives that improve the quality of life and health in our communities.”

One of the company’s community efforts is a partnership with Gateway Greening, a local non-profit organization focused on gardening and urban agriculture. Centene helped host a “Get Your Garden Growing” event to help educate more than 100 elementary-aged children, including 40 from a local Head Start program, and their families about the benefits of gardening.

“In addition to growing nutritious foods, community gardens bring people together from various backgrounds to work towards a common goal of staying fit, eating healthy, and maintaining a garden in an otherwise unoccupied plot of land,” Lane says.

Centene has also worked to promote education and the arts in St. Louis. The company has given tens of thousands of books to disadvantaged young people in St. Louis. The company was also the premier sponsor of the Hispanic Literacy Institute, an initiative designed to enrich the lives of Hispanic and Latino children.

In addition, Centene has funded major initiatives with the St. Louis Symphony, helping the symphony attract world-renowned artists and recognition.

“Centene has long maintained that the pulse of any thriving metropolitan area is in the culture, education, and good health of its people,” Lane says. “We believe that helping to build a strong community is not only a social responsibility we have as a business headquartered here, but it also helps our company continue to grow and succeed by attracting and retaining high-quality talent that are proud to call St. Louis home.”

Centene’s expanding community commitment comes as the company itself is growing rapidly. Last year, Centene began offering health insurance in two new states, added two new specialty companies, and began offering insurance through exchanges in nine states. Those moves, in addition to organic growth, helped grow the company’s revenue by 37 percent  for 2013. Having just marked its 30th year in business, Centene now has nearly 10,000 employees that serve 3.7 million members.

Lane says the individual employees at Centene are a major part of the company’s outreach efforts. Employees at Centene donate generously to the United Way and volunteer for numerous service organizations, such as Autism Speaks, Alzheimer’s Association, and the American Heart Association.

“Centene’s purpose—to transform the health of our community, one person at a time—is what drives Centene and its employees each and every day,” Lane says. “Centene’s core philosophy is that quality healthcare is best delivered locally. This approach enables us to provide access to health care services that are high quality and sensitive to the culture. We also believe that delivering health care locally aligns with giving back to our local communities. In both scenarios, we are helping our neighbors.”