The Pepsi Refresh Project Announces 32 New Grant Recipients to Receive a Total of $1.3 Million to Refresh the World

PURCHASE, N.Y., April 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pepsi today announced the latest round of Pepsi Refresh Project Grant recipients, who have been collectively awarded $1.3 million.  The Pepsi Refresh Project, a ground-breaking initiative designed to fund good ideas, big and small, that help refresh our world, will award more than $20 million in 2010 to the ideas voted most likely to move our communities forward by the public via online voting.

The 32 newest Pepsi Refresh Grant recipients are being recognized during National Volunteer Week, a week dedicated to encouraging Americans to donate their time to the causes and organizations they support. Whether volunteering with Kids Coupes Inc. to keep kids off the street with after-school team building activities or joining the cross-country crusade with Bikeloc to advocate the local food movement, this month's 32 top vote-getters in six categories (Health, Arts & Culture, Food & Shelter, The Planet, Neighborhoods and Education) offer a diverse group of volunteer opportunities for consumers who want to get involved in what they care about.  Refresh Grant recipients include:

• Homes of Hope for Children, Inc., Hattiesburg, MS, intends to use a $250,000 Refresh Grant to build a safe haven for children to learn and grow (Food & Shelter);
• The Tommy Foundation, Inc., Lancaster, PA aims to spread awareness about Autism, a disorder that affects 1 in 110 US Children.  Just in time for National Autism Awareness month, this $50,000 grant will help this organization produce a documentary that will educate the public on dealing with this disorder (Education);
• Kids Coupes Inc., of River Ridge, LA will use $50,000 to fund Project P.O.T.S "Peace on the Street," an organization whose goal is to engage kids in after school activities, thusly keeping them away from violence on the streets (Neighborhoods);
• SABEResPODER in Los Angeles, CA plans to put a $50,000 grant to work to create a "digital handbook for the American Dream." The money will fund the creation of online courses and support systems that empower Spanish-speaking new Americans to become informed, confident and active citizens (Education);
• SelflessTee, Albany, NY, will use a $50,000 grant to spur social change through fashion. Profits generated from the sale of specially designed t-shirts will fund a variety of socially impactful ideas, generating a ripple of "refresh" (Health);
• Hillcrest High School, Idaho Falls, ID plans to bring technology into the classroom, creating a virtual computer lab for students with a $25,000 grant (Education);
• Resounding Harmony, Dallas, TX is a singing group that aims to affect change through benefit concerts for worthy causes. The $25,000 grant they will receive will allow them to produce a "Sing for the Cure" performance, raising money to fight breast cancer (Arts & Culture);
• Clothe the N.A.K.E.D Prom Date, in Shelbyville, TN was founded by Calvin Cannon, who has fond memories of his senior prom. He will use a $5,000 Pepsi Refresh Grant to give underprivileged men with good grades and a record of public service the attire they need to attend their proms (Education);
• Janet Huey, in Houston, TX, will use a $5,000 Refresh Grant to treat heartworm positive dogs, reducing the rate of euthanasia in her community (The Planet);
• Bikeloc, based in Brooklyn, NY, is an organization whose goal is to educate their community about the benefits of the local food movement. A $5,000 grant will fund a 100-day bike and local food tour across the country (Food & Shelter)

The Pepsi Refresh Project launched in January, inviting individuals and organizations to submit beneficial, achievable, constructive and "shovel-ready" ideas that would make a positive impact on communities. In March, the first group of 32 ideas was announced. Meanwhile, Americans votes for a new batch of over 1,000 ideas from March 1 through March 31 at www.refresheverything.com.

"I love seeing the ways that young entrepreneurs are improving the lives of others through projects like SelflessTee," said Pepsi Refresh Project Health Ambassador Mallika Chopra. "By engaging the community to help develop products, and working with local partners on social issues in the community, this idea shows the power of one person to engage a large network for good." Refresh Ambassadors are building awareness and driving participation in the program as well as supporting Funded Ideas.

"The Tommy Foundation's efforts to foster thoughtful discussion about autism provide tremendous learning and teaching opportunities," said Liz Dwyer, Pepsi Refresh Project Education Ambassador. "It's fitting that this announcement comes in April, which is National Autism Awareness Month."

This month, in total, the Pepsi Refresh Project awarded two $250,000, ten $50,000, ten $25,000 and ten $5,000 grants. Other Pepsi Refresh Grant recipients include:

$250,000

• Stop SMA, Flowood, MS (Health)

$50,000

• XXI Century Kids 1st Foundation, Santa Barbara, CA (The Planet)
• Alton Parks & Recreation, Godfrey, IL (Health)
• Alton High School, Alton, IL (Health)
• Operation Gratitude, Encino, CA (Neighborhoods)
• Wish for Our Heroes, Indianapolis, IN (Neighborhoods)
• Together We Rise, Chino, CA (Neighborhoods)

$25,000

• Springfield Middle School, Green Springs, OH (Education)
• The Eli Home for Abused and Neglected Children, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA (Neighborhoods)
• Liberty Community Center, Columbus, OH (Education)
• Greater Greenfield Community Foundation, Greenfield, IA (Education)
• Jae Bryson, Minneapolis, MN (Arts & Culture)
• Monroe County Health Council, Madisonville, TN (Health)
• Lewis & Clark Instrument Music Parent's Association, Spokane, WA (Arts & Culture)
• Pink Daisy Project, Bellevue, WA (Health)

$5,000

• The Greener Theater Project, New York, NY (Arts & Culture)
• Tom Quiram, LeSueur, MN (Education)
• Andrew Cooke Magnet School, Waukegan, IL (Education)
• Community Elementary School, Kirkland, WA (Education)
• Jeff Simpson, Edmond, OK (Arts & Culture)
• 5 Loaves 4 Kids, Lynchburg, TN (Food & Shelter)
• Alstrom Syndrome International (ASI), Mount Desert, ME (Health)

New Round of Voting Begins May 1

In 2010, the Pepsi Refresh Project will give away more than $20 million to refresh the world, one idea at a time.  Each month, Pepsi will award up to $1.3 million in grants to the ideas with the most votes.  Pepsi will accept up to 1,000 new ideas every month and the public decides who wins. Vote for your favorite ideas now at www.refresheverything.com.

To support the project, Pepsi is partnering with three organizations dedicated to making a positive difference in the world: GOOD, a leading platform for thought and action revolving around pushing the world forward; Global Giving, an online marketplace that connects people who have community and world-changing ideas with people who can support them; and Do Something, the largest non-profit teen charity.

The Pepsi Refresh Project can be found at www.refresheverything.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/refresheverything or on Twitter, @Pepsi or #pepsirefresh.

Pepsi Refresh Project

In an effort to support those who generate innovative, optimistic ideas, the Pepsi Refresh Project (www.refresheverything.com) will award more than $20 million in 2010 to move communities forward.  Individuals can apply for grants to benefit a variety of projects and site visitors can vote for the best ideas for funding.  The Pepsi Refresh Project is an evolution of the Refresh Everything initiative Pepsi launched in 2009, which showed the brand as an optimistic catalyst for idea creation, leading to an ever-refreshing world.   Pepsi will fund projects that make a difference in six categories: Health, Arts & Culture, Food & Shelter, The Planet, Neighborhoods and Education.

About Pepsi

Pepsi is a product of PepsiCo Beverages Americas (PBA).  In addition to the Pepsi trademark, the PBA portfolio includes the Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist and Mug trademarks in the carbonated soft drink category. PBA is a division of PepsiCo, which offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that each generates more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses -- Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade -- also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in more than 200 countries. With annualized revenues of nearly $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. In recognition of its continued sustainability efforts, PepsiCo was named for the third time to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) and for the fourth time to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI North America) in 2009. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

SOURCE Pepsi