Team Kellogg's™ Athletes Launch Campaign To Turn Their Great Starts Into A Great Thing For Kids In Need

BATTLE CREEK, Mich., Oct. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- To mark the 100 day countdown to the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Kellogg's® today unveiled a campaign that celebrates how Team Kellogg's™ U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes and hopefuls got their start, and will help kids across the country have a great start to their day. From now through the Games, fans can go to  www.kelloggs.com/teamusa to view the athletes' inspirational beginnings through a series of Start Story videos, which follow Team Kellogg's journeys to the Sochi Games.  These web videos are part of Kellogg's 'Give A Great Start' initiative to provide consumers with a chance to help give breakfast to kids in need.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131028/CG04924)

Kellogg's and Team Kellogg's Team Up for Great Starts
Kellogg's believes everyone deserves a great start, and that begins with breakfast. However, one in five kids goes without breakfast every day.¹ That is why Kellogg's and Team Kellogg's are launching the 'Give a Great Start' initiative:

• For each view, like, re-tweet, pin or share of the athletes' Start Stories, or Great Start online content, Kellogg's will donate one breakfast to a child in need
• Through the initiative, Kellogg's goal is to provide two million breakfasts to kids across the country²

"From kids to athletes, Kellogg's understands that the power of breakfast helps people get a great start to the day. That's why, at a time when the world focuses on the finish, we're asking them to also celebrate the start," said Noel Geoffroy,  Senior Vice President, Marketing & Innovation for Kellogg's U.S. Morning Foods. "As champions of the start and all its potential, Kellogg's and our athletes are aiming to share two million breakfasts with children who may otherwise go without, supporting their start every day."

Team Kellogg's Competes Online to Give Great Starts
In the spirit of competition around the Sochi Games, the Team Kellogg's athletes will be competing to see who can generate the most breakfast shares as part of the initiative. Throughout the Games, the athletes will be encouraging people to watch their Start Story videos, and then show their support by tweeting out with an athlete's personal 'Give A Great Start' hashtag. A list of hashtags as well as a synopsis of each athlete's start story are included below.    

"I look forward to some friendly competition among the Team Kellogg's athletes as we work to share as many breakfasts as possible with children in need," said Kristi Yamaguchi, Olympic gold medalist and Team Kellogg's co-captain. "As athletes we have quite a competitive drive, so it's nice to be able to apply that to such an important cause and help reinforce the importance of a great start."

To learn more about Team Kellogg's, view their Start Story videos and for more information about the 'Give A Great Start' program, visit Kelloggs.com/teamusa.

2014 Team Kellogg's Team USA Athletes:

• Gretchen Bleiler – Snowboarding
  • "Enjoy the Journey" – After missing qualifying for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, Gretchen rethought her approach to get a great new start in the sport she loves. She decided to start enjoying life along the way as opposed to solely focusing on the end results, and this became her new secret to success as she went on to win a silver medal at the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games. View her Start Story.
  • #GreatStartsGretchen
• Heath Calhoun – Paralympic Alpine Skiing
  • "Whole Again" – Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Heath joined the U.S. Army. While serving in Iraq in 2003, he lost his legs above the knee in combat. After returning to the U.S., Heath discovered a love for Alpine Skiing during the course of his rehab. This love, and a lot of dedication, earned him a spot on the 2010 U.S. Paralympic Ski team and now he's focused on making it to Sochi. View his Start Story.
  • #GreatStartsHeath
• Meryl Davis & Charlie White – Ice Dancing
  • "Destiny" – Growing up just a few miles apart in Michigan, Meryl and Charlie got their start when they met in a local skating rink and were destined to become one of the best ice dancing teams in the world. They won the Ice Skating World Championships in 2011 and 2013, and are among the favorites heading into the Sochi Games. View their Start Story.
  • #GreatStartsMerylandCharlie
• Sarah Hendrickson – Ski Jumping
  • "Share What You Love" – Sarah's dad and brother both ski jumped competitively, and shared their love for the sport with her when she was growing up. Sarah has developed into one of the premier female ski jumpers in the world, due in large part to the love and support from her family along the way. View her Start Story.
  • #GreatStartsSarah
• Ted Ligety – Alpine Skiing
  • "Playing Forward" – Ted didn't have a great start in competitive alpine skiing, getting beaten by boys and girls during his youth. He really got his start when he started "playing forward" –  forgetting those losses and finding the drive inside him to become a superstar. View his Start Story.
  • #GreatStartsTed
• Noelle Pikus-Pace – Skeleton
  • "Fastest Mom on Ice" – Noelle, a mom of two, is among the top skeleton competitors in the world. Following a severe injury, Noelle has rehabbed her way to top competition-shape, and is now focused on making the team for the Sochi Games. View her Start Story.
  • #GreatStartsNoelle
• Amy Purdy – Paralympic Snowboarding
  • "Live It" – Amy was 19 when a bout of severe meningitis claimed both her legs and her spleen, and later required a kidney transplant. Instead of giving up, she chose to continue to live her life to the fullest and has persevered to become a successful Para Snowboarder, with aspirations of competing in the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games. View her Start Story.
  • #GreatStartsAmy
• Torin Yater-Wallace – Freeskiing
  • "Do What You Want" – Young and talented, Torin started skiing almost from birth and has relentlessly pushed himself to fly higher and go faster ever since. His family and friends have provided the support that allowed that drive to run free, and he brings that same approach to freeskiing, as well as his life. View his Start Story.
  • #GreatStartsTorin
• Team Kellogg's Legends
  • Jim Craig – Ice Hockey Legend & Team Co-Captain
    • Olympic gold medalist goalie, 1980 USA "Miracle on Ice" Team
    • #GreatStartsJim
  • Kristi Yamaguchi – Figure Skating Legend & Team Co-Captain
    • 1992 gold medalist and U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame member
    • #GreatStartsKristi

Suggested Tweets:

• Click to tweet: #Sochi2014 is only 100 days away! Follow #TeamKelloggs on their journey through Start Story videos: http://bit.ly/XFkyti  #GreatStarts
• Click to tweet: @Kelloggs_US and #TeamKelloggs team up to share 2 million breakfasts with kids in need. Find out how you can help at http://bit.ly/XFkyti
• Click to tweet: Learn about how you can help @Kelloggs_US & #TeamKelloggs share 2 million breakfasts with kids in need: http://bit.ly/XFkyti #greatstarts

Kellogg Company and USOC Relationship Continues
Dating back to 1976, Kellogg Company has a long history of helping athletes start the day off right through its support of the United States Olympic Committee. Looking forward, Kellogg is proud to support the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams for the 2014 and 2016 Games, as well as Team USA athletes at the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. Kellogg products are available to Team USA athletes at all U.S. Olympic Training Centers in Colorado Springs, Colo., Lake Placid, N.Y., and Chula Vista, Calif.

Kellogg Company "Breakfast For Better Days"
Kellogg's 'Give a Great Start' initiative is part of the company's Breakfasts for Better Days™ commitment to provide 1 billion servings of cereal and snacks – more than half of which are breakfast – to children and families in need around the world by the end of 2016.

About Kellogg Company
At Kellogg Company (NYSE: K), we are driven to enrich and delight the world through foods and brands that matter. With 2012 sales of $14.2 billion, Kellogg is the world's leading cereal company; second largest producer of cookies, crackers and savory snacks; and a leading North American frozen foods company.  Every day, our well-loved brands nourish families so they can flourish and thrive. These brands include Kellogg's®, Keebler®, Special K®, Pringles®, Frosted Flakes®, Pop-Tarts®, Corn Flakes®, Rice Krispies®, Kashi®, Cheez-It®, Eggo®, Coco Pops®, Mini-Wheats®, and many more. Because we believe in the power of breakfast, we focus our philanthropic efforts on global hunger relief through our Breakfasts for Better Days™ initiative, providing 1 billion servings of cereal and snacks - more than half of which are breakfasts - to children and families in need by the end of 2016. To learn more about our responsible business leadership, foods that delight and how we strive to make a difference in our communities around the world, visit www.kelloggcompany.com.

¹ U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2012. Breakfast: Percentages of Selected Nutrients Contributed by Foods Eaten at Breakfast, by Gender and Age, What We Eat in America, NHANES 2009-2010. Available: www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/fsrg

² For each "Great Start" consumers activate, Kellogg will donate $.27, up to $540,000, to Action for Healthy Kids to help increase participation in new or expanded school breakfast programs resulting in a projected 2 million additional breakfasts served if the maximum donation is reached.

SOURCE Kellogg Company