What Do Scouts, Attawapiskat and Garage Bands Have in Common? They all
Captured the Hearts and Votes of Canadians in the Pepsi Refresh Project

Pepsi Refresh Project Awards First Grants And Moves Canada Forward

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Sept. 23 /CNW/ - What do Scouts across Canada, the Cree First Nation in Attawapiskat, Ontario and Canadian garage bands all have in common?

They, along with various other communities, captured the public's attention and votes and will now be the first Canadian grant recipients as part of the Pepsi Refresh Project. The first ten Pepsi Refresh Project ideas to receive grants to create positive change in Canada were announced today by the Pepsi Refresh Project.

"One morning, we did our regular check-in on the Pepsi Refresh Project website and our idea had moved into the number one position for the first time. It was a great moment: it was as if someone had tapped us on the shoulder and said, 'Keep going!' We kept campaigning for votes and we won! We're so happy to be able to take our mobile studio across Canada to record young bands!" says Frédéric Bastien Forrest of Montreal's Youth Music Movement.

Scouts Canada Chief Commissioner Stephen Kent of Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador, agrees. "Anyone who has been a Scout knows the benefits of Scouting to kids in terms of confidence, performance in school and much more. It became everyone's personal mission to vote for Scouts Canada's idea and as a result we became the $100,000 grant recipient!"

Collectively, the first ten winning ideas will receive a total of $200,000 for generating the most votes from fellow Canadians during July and August. Over the next year, Pepsi will grant an additional $1 million to Canadians for their ideas to create progressive social change. Grants will be awarded every other month, ranging from $5,000 to $100,000, as Pepsi continues to fund ideas that move Canada forward.

"This groundbreaking movement to foster innovation in social good has empowered individuals and organizations to make Canadian communities stronger thanks to Pepsi's support," says Akela Peoples, Co-Founder of Youth in Motion and a Pepsi Refresh Project Advisory Board member.

Canadians submitted ideas across six categories: Health, Arts & Culture, Food & Shelter, The Planet, Neighbourhoods and Education, showcasing how Canadians are getting involved in what they care about. First round Pepsi Refresh Project grant recipients are as follows:

    
    -   Scouts Canada intends to use a $100,000 Pepsi Refresh Project grant
        to send more kids to Scout Camps in 2010-2011, develop a national
        camping strategy for Scouts Canada and lay the groundwork for outdoor
        activity centres across the nation.

    -   TrueNorthAid based in Ottawa, Ontario will use its $25,000 Pepsi
        Refresh Project grant to launch its plan to build a playground and
        outdoor recreational facilities in every remote northern community
        across Canada. Its first project, called "Help Wesley Build A
        Playground", is a playground planned for the community of
        Attawapiskat, Ontario, a First Nation reserve located along the
        shores of James Bay.

    -   Youth Music Movement from Montreal, Quebec aims to use its $25,000
        Pepsi Refresh Project grant to take its mobile recording studio
        across Canada to record young up-and-coming bands for free. Then,
        they plan to produce an album with their recordings, the sale
        proceeds from which will benefit the Simple Plan Foundation, a
        charity that helps "young people in need by easing their often
        difficult passage to adulthood" (See: www.youthmusicmovement.ca).

    -   Chris Thompson of Stonewall, Manitoba and his organization, Kickballs
        for Kids, want to share the joy of sport with Canadian children.
        Chris will use his $10,000 Pepsi Refresh Project grant to purchase
        and deliver sports equipment through a network of educational
        facilities and community organizations to kids who can't afford to
        buy equipment themselves.

    -   Charlottetown Music Development plans to put its $10,000 Pepsi
        Refresh Project grant to work by opening a permanent all-ages music
        venue and rehearsal hall in Charlottetown that will serve as a
        permanent venue for local and touring acts, providing access to
        professional equipment to people who can't afford to buy it.

    -   Samantha Youssef, the artistic director of Montreal's Studio
        Technique, an artistic training studio in Montreal, plans to create a
        studio in Montreal for artists of all kinds to practice their art and
        exchange ideas with other artists. She now has a $10,000 Pepsi
        Refresh Project grant to help make that idea a reality.

    -   Ajax, Ontario-based Renewed Strength Inc. received a $5,000 Pepsi
        Refresh Project grant to compile a "Healthy Bites" cookbook to aid
        cancer patients in developing health eating habits in order to help
        overcome the side effects of their cancer treatments.

    -   Big Brothers Big Sisters, based in Fredericton, New Brunswick, will
        use their $5,000 Pepsi Refresh Project grant to help match five
        children in need with a Big Brother or Big Sister over the coming
        months.

    -   The River Phillip in Nova Scotia will benefit from a $5,000 Pepsi
        Refresh Project grant to the Cumberland County Rivers Enhancement
        Association (CCREA). CCREA plans to purchase equipment for the local
        hatchery that releases salmon smolt into the river.

    -   The Regina Home Economics for Living Project Inc. (HELP) wants to
        continue its annual "Foods Across the Rainbow" Summer Nutrition Camp
        to provide a hands-on basic cooking skills camp experience to
        vulnerable children and youth. Its $5,000 Pepsi Refresh Project grant
        will enable HELP to provide this nutrition-based programming to over
        300 participates next summer.
    

New Round of Voting Now Open

Canadians once again have the power to help make positive change in their communities now that the Pepsi Refresh Project is open for a new round of voting at www.refresheverything.ca. The Pepsi Refresh Project is built on the belief that great ideas can come from anyone. Competing for votes until October 31 are ideas submitted by people of all ages and all walks of life from every province across the country. For a complete list of all ideas campaigning for votes, go to www.refresheverything.ca.

About the Pepsi Refresh Project

In an effort to support those who generate innovative, optimistic ideas, the Pepsi Refresh Project will award more than $1 million between now and next June to move communities forward. Individuals and organizations can apply for grants to benefit a variety of projects, and Canadians can vote for the best ideas for funding at www.refresheverything.ca. The Pepsi Refresh Project is an evolution of the Joy It Forward initiative that the Pepsi brand launched in 2009, which showed the brand as an optimistic catalyst for idea creation. The Pepsi Refresh Project will fund projects that make a difference in six categories: Health, Arts & Culture, Food & Shelter, The Planet, Neighbourhoods and Education. The Pepsi Refresh Project can be found at www.refresheverything.ca, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pepsicanada or on Twitter, @PepsiCanada

About 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, 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.

For broadcast footage and additional information visit: http://smr.newswire.ca/en/pepsico-beverages-canada/pepsi-refresh-project-awards

For further information: Maureen Juniper or Kelly Mansell, PraxisPR, Office: 905-949-8255 Ext. 226 or 221, [email protected] or [email protected]