“Take It To The Park” was the rally cry heard around the country this
summer. Thousands of people responded by getting active on behalf of
their favorite parks. Veterans Memorial Park in Moore, Okla. emerged as
“America’s Favorite Park” with more than 400,000 votes and 16,000 hours
of activity logged. The park will receive a $100,000 recreation grant
from the Coca-Cola America Is Your Park campaign to help rebuild
activity areas destroyed by a tornado.
“Americans are passionate about their parks. Each year, the widespread
support for the America Is Your Park campaign shows us just how
much. This year in particular was remarkable because communities across
the country came together to support a special park in need – Veterans
Memorial Park,” said Stuart Kronauge, General Manager, Sparkling
Beverages, Coca-Cola USA. “Our goal was to inspire people across the
country to rediscover the joy of being active and to use that activity
to benefit parks. Through this effort, a town devastated by a tornado
will begin rebuilding one of their beloved landmarks.”
Veterans Memorial Park catapulted to the top of the leaderboard when
other communities rallied to its support. In a show of solidarity and
compassion, previous grant winners and supporters whose parks were also
damaged by natural disasters, came together to campaign for Veterans
Memorial Park. These communities helped organize online voting drives
and engaged celebrities to encourage voting for Veterans Memorial Park.
Supporters encouraged fun outdoor activity and posted daily Facebook
voting reminders to help the park win the top spot.
“Recovering from the tornado has been difficult, but the rebuilding
efforts have strengthened our community and brought us all closer
together,” said Todd Jenson, Parks and Recreation Director, City of
Moore. “The support and love our town received from all over the country
is overwhelming. Thanks to Coca-Cola and everyone who voted, we can
start rebuilding Veterans Memorial Park and create new memories.”
In addition to the top prize, second- and third-place winners – Mason
Neck State Park in Lorton, Va., and Greis Veterans Memorial Park in
Lynbrook, N.Y. – received $50,000 and $25,000 recreation grants,
respectively. Additionally, Woodlawn Lake Park in San Antonio, Texas was
chosen, at random, to receive a $15,000 “wildcard” grant.
Activity grants totaling $40,000 were also awarded to four select parks
across the country at field day events this summer. These grants will
help restore, rebuild or enhance activity areas in parks where people
can play and be active.
The fierce online campaign included nearly 12,000 national, state and
local parks from around the country. People got active on behalf of
parks by logging daily fitness activities, attending field day events
and having good old-fashioned fun outdoors. Communities also used social
media to encourage activity and rally their supporters to help parks win
money for improvements. As a result, people around the country logged
more than 72,000 hours of activity and cast more than 1.4 million votes.
Coca-Cola has supported efforts to maintain and rebuild parks across the
nation for more than 40 years. The Company has donated more than $17
million to date in recreation grants and partnerships to help keep
families active in the great outdoors. America Is Your Park was
developed in partnership with the National
Park Foundation, America’s
State Parks and the National
Recreation and Park Association.
About the Winning Parks
Veterans Memorial Park
Veterans Memorial Park was designed to honor our veterans and create
spaces for families and people to spend time together. In May 2013, it
was heavily damaged by a tornado. Activity spaces include a playground,
walking trail and more. A Memorial Plaza recognizes veterans from the
five branches of service and a Soldiers’ Memorial honors war heroes. The
grant will be used to purchase a new playground so families can begin
enjoying the park again.
Mason Neck State Park
Mason Neck State Park is located in Lorton, Va., only a few dozen miles
from Washington, D.C. The park introduces thousands of visitors to the
robust outdoor recreational activities available throughout the region.
It is made up of thousands of acres of land and hosts the only visitor
center for the entire Mason Neck region of Virginia. The grant will be
used to rebuild, restore or enhance activity areas in the park.
Greis Veterans Memorial Park
Greis Park is located in Lynbrook, a south shore community of 20,000 in
beautiful Long Island, New York. The park is made up of ball fields,
basketball courts, playgrounds, an exercise trail, a swimming pool,
indoor recreation center and more. The park will use the grant to
purchase new equipment for the exercise trail, playground and
recreational programs.
Woodlawn Lake Park
Historic and picturesque Woodlawn Lake Park has been a gathering place
for San Antonians for more than 100 years. The popular 62-acre park
offers something for everyone. It boasts playgrounds, a gymnasium,
walking trail, tennis courts, swimming pool, dance studio, outdoor
fitness equipment and more. Residents can be found jogging on the trail,
fishing, playing basketball, climbing on a playscape or enjoying a
family barbecue. The grant will be used to refurbish the basketball
court located in the heart of the park.
About 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, 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 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 visit our blog, Coca-Cola
Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com.
America Is Your Park Website: www.Coke.com/Parks
Campaign
Hashtag: #TakeItToThePark
Copyright Business Wire 2013