Choco Milk Partners with Major League Soccer to Help Children Kick Off the School Year with Healthy and Fun Activities

SAN ANTONIO, Sept. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Choco Milk, a children's premium ingredient nutritional milk supplement, has partnered with three Major League Soccer (MLS) teams to co-present and fund free community and school-based soccer clinics. The Los Angeles-based Chivas USA, Houston Dynamo and Chicago Fire are among the professional soccer clubs that Choco Milk will collaborate with and donate funds to during "The 2010 Choco Milk Cup Tour."  

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"The 2010 Choco Milk Cup Tour" is a traveling tour staged like a free, miniature soccer clinic with the purpose of engaging children in a series of activities that teach nutrition awareness and physical fitness. Children will learn to strengthen their mind, body and spirit through consistent exercise and a balanced nutritional diet while using the skills necessary for soccer, such as heading, juggling and scoring. "Choco Milk is excited to partner with these MLS teams to provide a strong platform to teach children how to lead healthy and active lives," said Patrick Harrington, Choco Milk brand manager.

The brand's community outreach campaign, "The 2010 Choco Milk Cup Challenge for Charity," is a unique fund-raising activity in which participants can choose to score a goal by kicking, throwing or heading a ball into an 8-foot-tall inflated Choco Milk Trophy Cup. For every goal scored, Choco Milk will donate $1 to the local professional soccer team's youth clinic and academy programs. Overall, Choco Milk's target is to tally 2,010 goals in each city it visits. "The 2010 Choco Milk Cup Tour" will also visit community festivals, grocery stores and MLS partnered team home games. In addition to the physical skill challenges, Choco Milk will award prizes, offer free samples of Choco Milk (in both strawberry and chocolate flavors) and feature an appearance by Pancho Pantera, the brand's legendary role model and mascot, whose energy and charm will entertain the crowd. Participation in "The 2010 Choco Milk Cup Tour" is free and no pre-registration is necessary.

The importance of "The 2010 Choco Milk Cup Tour" multi-faceted initiative is heightened by the documented decline in children's level of health and fitness in the U.S. About one-third of children in the U.S. are overweight or obese, and nearly three-fourths of them have low levels of Vitamin D, which puts them at higher risk for bone and dental problems, diabetes and heart disease, according to The Health and Nutrition Examination Survey released in the August 2009 "Journal of Pediatrics." The findings also concluded that pediatricians and registered dieticians recommend children consume more foods rich in Vitamin D, such as milk, since it is difficult to get enough Vitamin D from dietary sources alone, and include nutritional supplements in their daily diet.  

In addition, Mead Johnson Nutritionals Mexico, manufacturer of Choco Milk and a recognized world leader in nutrition, reports that due to the fact that children are constantly growing and developing their bones, teeth, muscles and blood, they need meals that are nutritionally proportionate to their height more than adults do. During their adolescence children run the risk of malnutrition due to periods of low appetite, limited consumption of certain food types, or the consumption of foods that are low in nutrients. Therefore, the benefits for children drinking Choco Milk on a daily basis, in combination with exercise, becomes increasingly evident because of the important role it assumes in improving their development and growth.

Because Choco Milk realizes the importance of a balanced nutrition throughout childhood, it is the only milk modifier on store shelves offering the NutriPantera Formula, which is enriched with 16 vitamins and minerals from Vitamins A, B and C to Zinc. Available in chocolate and strawberry, Choco Milk's nutritious and delicious flavor is a favorite for kids and adults alike.

Contact: Ashley Kantro: 312.784.1667

SOURCE Vilore and Choco Milk