The Oklahoma Eagle Newswire
Keurig Dr Pepper (NYSE: KDP) and Good Sports, a national nonprofit, announced today that approximately $150,000 of brand-new sports equipment will be distributed across 10 youth-serving organizations as part of the Let’s Play High School Equipment Makeover Challenge. To enter, students submitted an original video demonstrating the need for new equipment to transform their high school athletic programs. Funding for the equipment is provided to Good Sports by KDP through its Let’s Play initiative that supports making active play a daily priority.
Central High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was the grand prize winner and received a $100,000 grant for the equipment and uniforms necessary to transform its athletic program. The grant allows Central High to re-introduce the girls volleyball team and girls soccer team as well as provides equipment upgrades to eight sports teams, the physical education program, weight room and athletic training room.
“Lack of resources is too often a reason kids stop playing the sports they love,” said Vicki Draughn, Keurig Dr Pepper’s Vice President, Corporate Communications, Philanthropy and Community Relations. “Through its Let’s Play initiative, Keurig Dr Pepper strives to provide the equipment and uniforms kids need to participate in athletics.”
Since 2014, through its Let’s Play initiative, Keurig Dr Pepper has donated more than $7 million in brand-new equipment to deserving organizations, part of an almost $40 million investment the Company has made in in the initiative.
“We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with Keurig Dr Pepper and Let’s Play to provide this sizeable donation to Tulsa Central High School,” said Christy Keswick, Co-Founder and COO of Good Sports. “The High School Makeover Challenge is a staple representation of our combined efforts in getting more children into the game. Together, our work with Keurig Dr Pepper provides new opportunities for young people to be physically active, just like the students of Tulsa Central High School and the other High School Makeover finalists.”
In addition to the grand prize of $100,000, Keurig Dr Pepper will also award a $25,000 grant to second place winner General Trass High School in Lake Providence, Louisiana, and a $15,000 grant to third place winner, North Pitt High School in Bethel, North Carolina.
The remaining top ten finalist schools will each receive a kit of brand-new Physical Education equipment valued at more than $1,000: Leilehua High School, Wahiawa, Hawaii; Chicopee High School, Chicopee, Massachusetts; Hollywood Hills High School, Hollywood, Florida; Frankfort High School, Frankfort, Indiana; Clinch School, Eidson, Tennessee; John O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science, Roxbury, Massachusetts; Brighton High School, Brighton, Massachusetts.
About Keurig Dr Pepper
Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) is a leading coffee and beverage company in North America, with annual revenue in excess of $11 billion. KDP holds leadership positions in soft drinks, specialty coffee and tea, water, juice and juice drinks and mixers, and markets the #1 single serve coffee brewing system in the U.S. The Company maintains an unrivaled distribution system that enables its portfolio of more than 125 owned, licensed and partner brands to be available nearly everywhere people shop and consume beverages. With a wide range of hot and cold beverages that meet virtually any consumer need, KDP key brands include Keurig®, Dr Pepper®, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters®, Canada Dry®, Snapple®, Bai®, Mott’s®, CORE® and The Original Donut Shop®. The Company employs more than 25,000 employees and operates more than 120 offices, manufacturing plants, warehouses and distribution centers across North America. For more information, visit www.keurigdrpepper.com.
About Let’s Play
Let’s Play is an initiative by Keurig Dr Pepper to provide the funding, equipment and play spaces to help kids and families make active play a daily priority. Through Let’s Play, Keurig Dr Pepper partners with two non-profit organizations, KaBOOM! and Good Sports, to build and improve playgrounds in underserved communities and provide grants for sports equipment. In this way, Keurig Dr Pepper is doing our part to help eliminate the play deficit by making active play possible for more kids. Since its launch in 2011, Let’s Play has provided more than 12 million children with more opportunities to play via safe, accessible playgrounds and sports equipment. For more information, please visit LetsPlay.com or Facebook.com/LetsPlay.
About Good Sports
Good Sports gives all kids the lifelong benefits of sport and physical activity by providing equipment, apparel and footwear to those most in need. Since 2003, Good Sports’ all time impact comes to more than $50 million in donated sports equipment, impacting over 7 million kids from more than 4,200 youth programs across the country. Good Sports has been awarded a coveted 4-star rating six consecutive times from Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest charity evaluator, for sound fiscal management, transparency and accountability; is a Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance accredited charity; and is listed on Social Impact Exchange’s S&I 100, an index of top American nonprofits creating meaningful social impact. To learn more or to get involved, please visit www.goodsports.org.
