America Is Your Park campaign urges families to get out, discover fun ways to get active in the park while helping their favorite park win big
If you’re reading this, you should get to your favorite park – STAT! 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 launches today, 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 the 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 LivePositvely.com featuring fitness icon Jake Steinfeld, founder of “Body By Jake.”
“Our national parks are home to our country’s treasures – from our iconic landscapes to the hallowed places where history happened,” said Neil Mulholland, President and CEO, National Park Foundation. “Thanks to dedicated partners like Coca-Cola and the America Is Your Park campaign, our nation’s parks can continue to receive the vital support they need.”
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.
Here are a couple of example social media messages you can send to vote to make a Metro-Atlanta area park the winner of the contest!
I just voted for [insert your favorite park’s name] to win a $100,000 grant in the America Is Your Park campaign from Coca-Cola. I love this park because [insert reason]. Vote at www.LivePositively.com by September 6 for our park to win!
If you haven’t yet, vote for [insert your favorite park’s name] to win a $100K grant from @CocaCola. Go to http://bit.ly/16xRLj or #americasparks by 9/6!
About America Is Your Park
From June 29, 2011 to September 6, 2011, people can go to LivePositvely.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.
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. For more information about our Company, please visit our website at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.
