This summer, Los Angeles will welcome 7,000 inspirational athletes from
177 different countries to the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games.
Supporting children and adults with intellectual disabilities, the World
Games is the largest sports and humanitarian event on the globe.
To celebrate, The Coca-Cola Company, Founding Partner of Special
Olympics, has assembled a star-studded team to record a unified song for
the World Games, titled “Reach Up.” The new song debuts today and will
be performed during the World Games. ESPN is the official broadcaster of
the World Games and will have a three-hour live telecast of the Opening
Ceremony beginning at 9 p.m. ET featuring Robin Roberts, co-host of
ABC’s “Good Morning America,” and ESPN’s Lindsay Czarniak and Kevin
Negandhi.
“Reach Up” features rock band O.A.R., recording artist Cody Simpson and,
accompanied by Breanna Bogucki, a singer and decorated Special Olympics
athlete from Illinois who has Autism, and Madison Tevlin, a young
Canadian woman with Down syndrome who became a viral sensation earlier
this year. Written by Marc Roberge, lead singer of O.A.R., Nathan
Chapman and Kevin Kadish the uplifting alternative-rock song encourages
people of all abilities to never give up.
Inspired by Special Olympics Unified Sports – a program that brings
athletes with and without intellectual disabilities together on the same
team to compete – “Reach Up” embodies the values of optimism, acceptance
and inclusion shared by Coca-Cola and Special Olympics.
“In all our lives, we’ve been touched by somebody who may not have been
born with all the opportunities we were. At the end of the day, we are
all doing the exact same thing - trying to appreciate this daily life
that we’re given,” said Marc Roberge, lead singer of O.A.R. “I feel like
the lucky one, being able to spend time and learn from two incredible
individuals - Madison and Bree - involved with Coca-Cola for something
as special and as important as the Special Olympics World Games. ‘Reach
Up’ is an anthem. I want people to hear it and feel like they can do
anything.”
Fans can support Special Olympics by sharing the “Reach
Up” music video on social media using the hashtag #ReachUp.
Coca-Cola will donate one dollar – up to $100,000 – to Special Olympics
for every “Reach Up” video share using the hashtag leading up to the
World Games.
Fans can listen to “Reach Up” on Spotify
and learn more about the musicians’ story on Coca-Cola
Journey.
The Coca-Cola Company is the Founding Partner and Global Sponsor of
Special Olympics, the world’s largest health and sports organization
dedicated to people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Since 1968 –
Special Olympics’ inception – the Company has maintained a deep
commitment to the organization and has provided more than $190 million
in support of its programs through product, equipment, donations and
marketing support.
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, one of the world's most valuable and
recognizable brands, our Company's portfolio features 20 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 1.9 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,
visit our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com
or find us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/the-coca-cola-company.
About the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games
The 2015 Special Olympics World Games, with the unparalleled spirit,
enthusiasm, teamwork, joy and displays of courage and skill that are
hallmarks of all Special Olympics events, will feature 25 Olympic-style
sports in venues throughout the Los Angeles region. The Opening
Ceremony, to be held July 25, 2015 in the historic Los Angeles Memorial
Coliseum, site of the 1932 and 1984 Olympic Games, is expected to
attract 80,000 spectators. Honorary Chairs of the Games are President
Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, with Los Angeles Mayor Eric
Garcetti and California Governor Jerry Brown serving as Honorary Hosts.
Current Founding Champions and sponsors include The Coca-Cola Company,
Mattel, Deloitte, Kaiser Permanente, Davis Elen Advertising, AEG, David
Geffen, Steven Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw, The Walt Disney
Company, Knights of Columbus and Bank of America. LA2015, the Games
Organizing Committee, is a recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
For more information on the 2015 Special Olympics World Games, including
volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.LA2015.org.
About Special Olympics International
Special Olympics is an international organization that changes lives
through the power of sport by encouraging and empowering people with
intellectual disabilities, promoting acceptance for all, and fostering
communities of understanding and respect worldwide. Founded in 1968 by
Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Special Olympics movement has grown from a
few hundred athletes to more than 4 million athletes in 170 countries in
all regions of the world, providing year-round sports training, athletic
competition and other related programs. Special Olympics now takes place
every day, changing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities
all over the world, from community playgrounds and ball fields in every
small neighborhood’s backyard to World Games. Special Olympics provides
people with intellectual disabilities continuing opportunities to
realize their potential, develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage,
and experience joy and friendship. Visit Special Olympics at http://www.specialolympics.org
and engage with us on: @specialolympics,
fb.com/specialolympics,
youtube.com/specialolympicshq,
and specialolympicsblog.wordpress.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150615005614/en/
Copyright Business Wire 2015