Coca-Cola is celebrating its second annual America Is Your Park campaign on Wednesday, Aug. 10, with a morning of fitness activities at South Bellevue Community Center and a commitment to helping enhance Eastgate Park.
Coca-Cola will present a $10,000 recreation grant to the City of Bellevue for improvements to the challenge course at the park. Additionally, as part of Coca-Cola’s partnership with the WNBA, the event will also feature a WNBA clinic for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bellevue. Led by Tamika Raymond, the children will participate in fitness skills and drills that encourage them to get outside and play this summer.
Coca-Cola is calling all families to go out and play this summer as part of the second annual America Is Your Park campaign. Families also can vote for their favorite park to win the title of “America’s Favorite Park” and a $100,000 recreation grant made possible by the Coca‑Cola Live Positively initiative. The campaign, which launched this summer, was developed in collaboration with the National Park Foundation, America’s State Parks and the National Recreation and Park Association.
“Last year, millions of Americans showed their passion for their favorite parks by voting, so this year we’ve raised the stakes – more parks can win and there are more ways to vote,” said L. Celeste Bottorff, Vice President, Living Well, Coca-Cola North America. “We’re asking people to be ‘digital’ by voting online for their favorite park and then get ‘physical’ by getting out and having fun with us this summer.”
This summer, people can go to LivePositvely.com to help their favorite national, state or local park win big with just a click of a button. The three parks that receive the most votes by September 6, 2011, will be awarded recreation grants in the following amounts: First Place – $100,000; Second Place – $50,000; and, Third Place – $25,000.These grants will help restore, rebuild or enhance recreation areas in parks where people can play and be active.
The campaign also encourages people to attend active healthy living events at local parks in select cities this summer. Additionally, people can watch, download and share fitness-in-the-park videos from LivePositively.com featuring fitness icon Jake Steinfeld, founder of “Body By Jake.”
Last year, thanks to more than 1.6 million votes cast by its supporters, Bear Head Lake State Park in Ely, Minnesota was named “America’s Favorite Park.” The park is using the recreation grant to build a new warming hut to ensure safety and comfort for winter sports enthusiasts all season long.
For more than 40 years, Coca-Cola has supported America’s parks through partnerships with individual parks and national park organizations. The Company has donated more than $14 million for restoration and renovation of our country’s parks, including the restoration of more than 260 miles of “Active Trails” for families to hike and explore, and development of the first sustainable recycling program at The National Mall, a national park in the heart of Washington, D.C. Most recently, Coca-Cola donated $1 million to The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation’s Peopling of America® Center, a new initiative that will tell the story of the immigration experience in America.
About America Is Your Park
Through September 6, 2011, people can go to LivePositively.com to cast a vote for their favorite park. Americans can vote in the following ways: Click on their favorite park and vote, upload photos of themselves in their favorite park or “check in” from the park using Facebook Places. And, starting August 10, they can also upload video of themselves in their favorite park. To learn more about Coca-Cola’s efforts in our nation’s parks, vote for your favorite park or to download helpful tools to motivate your community to vote, visit www.livepositively.com.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world’s most valuable brand, the Company’s portfolio features 15 billion dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply and Georgia. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company’s beverages at a rate of 1.7 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate.
About the WNBA
The WNBA – which features 12 teams and is the most successful women’s professional team sports league in the world – is a unique global sports property combining competition, sportsmanship, and entertainment value with its status as an icon for social change, achievement, and diversity. Following a 2010 season that included a fourth consecutive year of attendance growth, surging WNBA Finals ratings, and strong increases in traffic to WNBA.com and WNBA Mobile sites, the league tipped off its historic 15th season on June 3.Through WNBA Cares, the WNBA is deeply committed to creating programs that improve the quality of life for all people, with a special emphasis on programs that promote a healthy lifestyle and positive body image, increase breast and women’s health awareness, support youth and family development, and focus on education. For more information on the WNBA, log on to www.wnba.com.