The Coca-Cola Foundation Awards $300,000 In Grants To Keep Youth Active In California, New York And Texas

16 Organizations Awarded Active Healthy Living Grants

Hundreds of organizations responded when The Coca-Cola Foundation announced a request for proposals for its Active Healthy Living grant. The sixteen organizations in California, Texas and New York that are being awarded $10,000 to $25,000 grants will help support physical activity and nutrition education programs focused on the entire family.
“At The Coca-Cola Company, improving access to community programs that foster physical activity, exercise and nutritional education is an absolute priority for us,” said Ingrid Saunders Jones, senior vice president, Global Community Connections, The Coca-Cola Company and chair of The Coca-Cola Foundation. “Our goal is to make a positive difference in communities by strengthening and creating active healthy lifestyle habits for families.”

In the Bronx, NY, FAN4Kids will be celebrating its $20,000 Coca-Cola Foundation Active Healthy Living grant at a ceremony today at PS 75. The grant will help support the expansion of the FAN4Kids program into two additional elementary schools.

“The Coca-Cola Foundation Active Healthy Living grant will help us bring FAN4Kids to even more schools so that more young people will begin a lifelong habit of making healthy choices about nutrition and physical activity,” said Robert Oliver, CEO of FAN4Kids. “It is truly an honor to be selected to receive a grant out of the hundreds of applications.”

FAN4Kids is a non-profit education service company that provides a comprehensive nutrition and physical activity education program for low-income children in New York and New Jersey. This expansion will include 250 students in South Bronx and Queens public elementary schools. The FAN4Kids program is designed to prevent the problems of poor eating and inactivity before they become an issue by providing, “lessons that last a lifetime.”

Additional recipients of the grants in the New York area are:

* Mosholu Montefiore Community Center in the Bronx
* St. Rosalia-Regina Pacis Neighborhood Improvement Association in Brooklyn
* YMCA Buffalo Niagara in Buffalo
* YMCA of Greater New York in New York City.

Recipients of the grants in Texas are:

* Texas Children’s Health Plan in Houston
* University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth
* Baylor Health Care System Foundation in Dallas
* Center for Academic Community Engagement in Dallas
* Centro Del Obrero Fronterizo, Inc. in El Paso.

Recipients of the grants in California are:

* Altamed Health Services Corporation in Los Angeles
* Boys and Girls Club of Fontana
* QueensCare Family Clinics in Los Angeles
* Richmond District Neighborhood Center in San Francisco
* California Aquatic Therapy and Wellness Center, Inc. in Long Beach
* Third Street Community Center in San Jose.

In 2009, The Coca-Cola Company and The Coca-Cola Foundation contributed more than $87 million to community initiatives worldwide, of which $3.8 million or nine percent was directed to physical activity and nutrition education programs. These programs included the restoration of walking trails through the National Park Foundation, to programs teaching girls 12 -15 the importance of developing healthy eating habits and regular physical activity through Girls Inc.

About The Coca-Cola Foundation
Since its inception, The Coca-Cola Foundation has contributed more than $314 million to help build sustainable communities worldwide through initiatives focused on water stewardship, active healthy living, community recycling, education, arts and culture and civic affairs. For more information about The Coca-Cola Foundation, please go to http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/foundation_coke.html.