Back-to-school is always an exciting time for students across the
country. As part of this significant moment, The Coca-Cola Company and
the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) are coming together with key
retailers to announce the launch of Share Possibilities. This
annual Hispanic Heritage Month scholarship program will award $200,000
in scholarships to help close the college attainment gap among Latino
students.
“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to support the community and
provide Hispanic families the means to achieve their educational dreams
and aspirations,” said Lauventria Robinson, Vice President of
Multicultural Marketing, Coca-Cola North America Group. “This program
allows us to bring the community together and share moments of happiness
with families across the country.”
With a long-standing relationship of more than 30 years, The Coca-Cola
Company’s Share Possibilities program is designed to further
support HSF in its goal of providing scholarships to our country’s best
and brightest Latino students and supporting them on their path to
obtaining a college degree.
“With 69% of Latino high school graduates now going directly to college,
it is more important than ever for HSF to provide scholarship support to
students and information about college and financial aid to parents,”
said Fidel A. Vargas, President and CEO of HSF. “Our long-standing
partnership with Coca-Cola continues to flourish and has played a key
role in our ability to positively impact students and their families
throughout America.”
The Share Possibilities program grants a total of $200,000 in
scholarships to college-bound Hispanic students. Nationally, the grand
prize winner will receive $20,000; four students will be awarded $10,000
and sixteen will receive $2,500. The remaining $100,000 will be awarded
by the company’s retail partners, within their respective communities,
across the nation.
From Sept. 1 through Dec. 15, eligible high school seniors may apply for
the opportunity to win a scholarship at www.Coke-HSF.com.
Applicants who meet the minimum eligibility requirements will be
featured in an online gallery with social media sharing capabilities.
Students are encouraged to share their profiles and gain community
votes. Each eligible participating voter is automatically entered for a
chance to win a $500 gift card and can vote up to five times a day.
HSF will select the scholarship recipients based on the Fund’s standard
selection criteria for awarding scholarships, factoring in community
votes gathered online. Final winners will be announced by May 2014.
The company’s retail partners also play a vital role in the program by
funding and awarding the remaining $100,000 in their local communities.
Joining in the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, these
partners are helping to increase awareness about the importance of
education as a means of strengthening communities and providing the
brain power needed for a sustainable national economy.
Participating retailers include:
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Atlanta Retailers Association (ARA)
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Family Dollar
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Giant Landover in Baltimore & Washington D.C.
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Greater Houston Restaurant Association (GHRA)
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Meijer, Inc. in Chicago, Illinois
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La Michoacana Meat Markets in Texas
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Stop & Shop New England
-
Stop & Shop New York Metro
To learn more about the program, people can visit participating
retailers in their area or go to www.Coke-HSF.com
and www.hsf.net.
Another way to follow the conversation is on Twitter and Facebook using
the hashtag #CokeforEducation.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The
Coca-Cola Company 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, our Company's portfolio
features 16 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite,
Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and
Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages,
ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world's
largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200
countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of more than 1.8 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. Together with our
bottling partners, we rank among the world's top 10 private employers
with more than 700,000 system associates. For more information, visit
Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com,
follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo
or check out our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com.
About the Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Founded in 1975, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund provides scholarships to
Latino students, as well as related support services. We seek to give
them all the tools they need to apply to college, do well in their
course work, graduate, enter a profession, excel, help lead our nation
going forward, and mentor the generations to come. As the nation’s
largest not-for-profit organization supporting Hispanic-American higher
education, HSF has awarded over $400 million in scholarships and
provides a range of ancillary programs for candidates, scholars, and
their families. We further strive to make college education a top
priority for every Latino family across the nation and to mobilize our
community to proactively advance that goal – each individual, over a
lifetime, in every way he/she can. For more information about the
Hispanic Scholarship Fund please visit: www.HSF.net.
Copyright Business Wire 2013