Coca-Cola Grants $2.7 Million To After-School Career & Fitness Programs Ms. Bels Thursday, October 31, 2013 Credits & Debits, The Receipt Atlanta-based beverage company, Coca-Cola, will donate a couple million dollars this year to help push more after school programs and recreational activities. The Coca-Cola Foundation has awarded several organizations across the U.S. and excess of $2.7 million in grant money. In exchange, these organizations will provide educational and recreational programs that will promote healthy living and life balance. EDUCATION IS THE FOUNDATION A grant to the Posse Foundation’s Pre-College Training Program will help 300 high school students develop their college skills through team-building, cross-cultural communication, leadership and academic experiences. Support to the Apollo Theater Academy will provide arts and entertainment career development programs to more than 2,000 New York City high school students. Additional education-based grants will help expand the Coca-Cola First Generation Scholarship program to the Culinary Institute of America, the Jackie Robinson Foundation and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. The Coca-Cola First Generation Scholarship program supports students who are the first in their families to attend college. INSPIRING PEOPLE, FAMILIES TO STAY ACTIVE Through this quarter’s grants, nearly 25,000 youth and families will have access to healthy living and nutrition education programs. Organizations like Youthplaces, Houston Bike Share and Boys & Girls Club of Las Vegas will all benefit. Youth-places will provide after-school healthy living programming throughout Pittsburgh. Houston Bike Share will give local residents and visitors access to bicycles for trips throughout downtown. Bikes are equipped to track miles traveled, calories burned and carbon emissions avoided. The Boys & Girls Club of Las Vegas received support for its Triple Play – Healthy Habits for High Achievers program. This program, which stems from the national Boys & Girls Club of America Triple Play program, focuses on balanced eating, fitness and healthy relationships. “Our Foundation work is not with just one partner or through just one model,” said Lori George Billingsley, Vice President, Community Relations, Coca-Cola North America Group. “It is only when we come together with different partners and organizations that we can make a meaningful impact on each communities’ particular needs and priorities.” Other organizations receiving Foundation support include: National Academy Foundation, New York City, NY, $50,000 The Idea Village, Inc., New Orleans, LA, $50,000 San Francisco Park Alliance, San Francisco, CA, $100,000 One Hundred Black Men, Inc. of New York, New York City, NY, $25,000 The Nature Conservancy, Atlanta, GA, $200,000 Portland After-School Tennis & Education, Portland, OR, $25,000 Girls, Inc. of Greater Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, $50,000 National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, Arlington, VA, $50,000 Boys & Girls Clubs of Redlands, Redlands, CA, $25,000 Santa Maria Valley YMCA, Santa Maria, CA, $25,000 National Federation of the Blind, Baltimore, MD, $50,000 If your organization would like to learn more about this initiative, please visit www.comingtogether.com.
