For immediate release
October 8, 2010
The Pepsi Refresh Project and the Canadian Football League Team Up To
Refresh Canada
CFL Players Tackle ‘Doing Good’
Mississauga, Ontario – The Pepsi Refresh Project – the Pepsi Brand’s groundbreaking
movement that will give away more than $1 million to fund Canadian ideas that foster
positive social change -- has teamed up with The Canadian Football League to refresh
Canada as part of an eight-team Pepsi Refresh Project - CFL Challenge.
Eight CFL players, each representing a different CFL team, will vie for a $50,000 Pepsi
Refresh Project grant to support an idea that makes positive change in their
communities. Starting today, Canadians can decide which player’s cause wins the
money by voting for their favourite idea at www.cfl.ca/PepsiRefresh. CFL Challenge
voting closes on Wednesday, November 24, 2010 at 10 am ET.
CFL players participating in the Challenge are: Jason Arakgi, BC Lions in support of Camp
Goodtimes; Patrick Kabongo, Edmonton Eskimos in support of Wellspring Edmonton;
Wes Lysack, Calgary Stampeders in support of Canadian Cancer Society Patient Care
Kits; Rob Bagg, Saskatchewan Roughriders in support of the Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation of Canada; Luke Fritz, Winnipeg Blue Bombers in support of Winnipeg
Harvest and its “Hunger for Hope” program; Andre Durie, Toronto Argonauts in support
of Community Living Mississauga; Marwan Hage, Hamilton Tiger-Cats in support of
McMaster Children’s Hospital; Anthony Calvillo, Montreal Alouettes in support of The
Cedars Cancer Institute.
Each CFL player has come up with an idea that will move Canada forward in a positive
way and they’d like their fans to help them win the money for their cause. Ideas range
from providing a positive camp experience for children with cancer to providing baby
formula for infants in need, to providing assistance to people with developmental
disabilities.
“The Pepsi Refresh Project captures one of the greatest things about our league, and
that’s the way our players and our fans work together to strengthen their communities
and our country,” said Mark Cohon, Commissioner of the Canadian Football League. “I
want to congratulate our friends and partners at PepsiCo Canada on a tremendous
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initiative, wish all of the great CFL players involved the best of luck, and urge all of our
fans to vote, get involved and help the Pepsi Brand make a positive difference.”
“CFL football players are big and tough on the outside, but they’ve got huge, generous
hearts on the inside,” said Dale Hooper, Vice President Marketing, PepsiCo Beverages
Canada. “When it comes to doing good, these players are always first in line, which
makes them great role models for the Pepsi Refresh Project. And of course they’re
going to have some fun trying to beat out their teams’ rivals, and we think fans will
enjoy helping them.”
Consumers can view all eight players’ ideas and vote for their favourite at
www.cfl.ca/PepsiRefresh. On October 29, the top four players will advance to the “semifinals” based on the highest number of votes generated, and on November 12, the field
will be narrowed to two finalists. Voting for the final two players will close on
November 24, 2010 at 10 am ET. The player whose idea garners the most votes will
receive the $50,000 grant on behalf of his charity. The remaining 7 players will each
receive $2,000 for the charity they are supporting.
The Pepsi Refresh Project - CFL Challenge is a special addition to the broader national
Pepsi Refresh Project.
About the Pepsi Refresh Project
In an effort to support those who generate innovative, optimistic ideas, the Pepsi
Refresh Project (www.refresheverything.ca) will award over $1 Million in grants. Every
other month, individuals and organizations 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 Joy It Forward initiative Pepsi launched in 2009, which
showed the brand as an optimistic catalyst for idea creation. Pepsi will fund projects
that make a difference in six categories: Health, Arts & Culture, Food & Shelter, The
Planet, Neighbourhoods and Education.
PepsiCo Canada and the Pepsi Brand
PepsiCo’s businesses in Canada are organized into two business units. PepsiCo Foods
Canada includes Frito Lay Canada and the Quaker Foods & Snacks business. PepsiCo
Beverages Canada includes the Pepsi, Gatorade and Tropicana businesses. The Pepsi
Brand has been bringing fun and refreshment to Canadian consumers for over 75 years.
For more information, please visit www.pepsico.ca.
About PepsiCo, Inc.
PepsiCo 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,
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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. For more information, please
visit www.pepsico.com.
About the Canadian Football League:
The Canadian Football League is our league. It’s built on a tradition as proud, staged on
a field as broad, and played at a pace as exciting as the country we are proud to call
home. Our championship game, the Grey Cup, is the biggest single annual sporting
event in Canada. And the sold out 98th edition will be played on November 28, 2010
in Edmonton, Alberta. For additional information, visit CFL.ca.
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For more information and broadcast footage, contact:
Kelly Mansell
PraxisPR
905-949-8255 Ext 221
416-580-6376
[email protected]