The Coca-Cola Club Balon Rojo program promotes active, healthy living with teens with the help of U.S. National Soccer Player Marcelo Balboa and the Mexican National Team
Chicago (June 3, 2014) –The Mexican National Team has millions of fans on the edge of their seats as they journey towards this year’s FIFA World Cup™. At tonight’s friendly match against Bosnia-Herzegovina at Soldier Field in Chicago, local teens will have a view of the game from the sidelines as official ball handlers. These teens represent Coca-Cola and Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago and Elgin as part of Coca-Cola’s Club Balón Rojo, a nationwide program that promotes healthy living and scholastic excellence.
Club Balón Rojo is part of Coca-Cola’s cross-country initiative that aims to both promote the importance of living a healthy and active lifestyle and also inspire youth to excel academically and work towards higher education. In Chicago, Coca-Cola partnered up with Boys & Girls Clubs of Elgin and Chicago to select 12 lucky participants for the June 2-3 program. Participants were nominated based on their exceptional leadership and scholastic achievement. The program provides a unique opportunity for these teenagers to experience the game of soccer on a whole new level. They have the chance to play alongside soccer legend and Hall-of-Famer Marcelo Balboa and serve as role models and help encourage their peers.
“We at Coca-Cola believe that active, healthy lifestyles are essential to the overall well-being of our youth,” said Luke Emery, Vice President Sales Operations Chicago Market Unit. “By creating engaging, unique opportunities like Club Balón Rojo with our partners like the Boys and Girls Club, we aim to instill lifelong, healthy habits for future generations.”
Following the soccer clinic, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) presented an interactive college readiness workshop to inspire teens to pursue higher education. Coca-Cola has been a proud supporter of the HSF and the educational advancement of Hispanic students across the country for over 30 years.
“This is an opportunity of a lifetime for many of our youth. We are excited and honored that Coca-Cola has chosen us to take part in this program,” said Cathy Malkani, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Elgin. “We encourage our Club kids to live healthy, achieve academically and give back – and this program helps us reach those goals. I want to thank Coca-Cola for providing our kids with such a spectacular opportunity.”
The soccer clinic and educational seminar took place on June 2, 2014 at Chicago Urban League Boys & Girls Clubs, 1214 N. Washtenaw, Chicago, IL. The Mexico v. Bosnia-Herzegovina friendly match will take place today at Soldier Field June 3, 2014.
The Coca-Cola Company continues to make the health of communities around the country and world a priority. Coca-Cola is coming together with organizations, individuals and the government in the fight against obesity. Through collaborative partnerships and programs, the Company is delivering more beverage choices, calorie information and physical activity opportunities than ever before. To learn more, please visit www.comingtogether.com.
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 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 beveragesat 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.
