COCA-COLA TO HELP SPONSOR THE CHALLENGE FOR THE CHILDREN
Includes $1 Million Contribution, Celebrity Basketball Tournament And
Wal-Mart Promotion
The Coca-Cola Company is contributing $1 million
to *NSYNC's Challenge for the Children Foundation and helping the group to raise
awareness for the Foundation, which raises money for various children's
charities and programs nationwide. As part of the effort, Coca-Cola will be the
title sponsor of this year's Challenge for the Children IV celebrity basketball
tournament fund-raiser, which will be held in Orlando in July. In addition, an
exclusive promotion designed to generate awareness of the Foundation will be
conducted at Wal-Mart.
"We are thrilled to have Coca-Cola on board
as our title sponsor of this year's event," said *NSYNC member Justin
Timberlake. "Together our foundation and The Coca-Cola Company can help
make a difference in children's lives."
Challenge for the Children was created by the
members of *NSYNC in 1999 to offer financial support to children's programs and
charities throughout the country. The Foundation's focus includes funding for
schools that have suffered educational cutbacks for sports and music education.
Special attention is paid to children's healthcare causes including, but not
limited to, pediatric AIDS, adoption and foster care, teen pregnancy,
alcohol/drug prevention programs and the fight against teen violence.
"*NSYNC's Challenge for the Children
Foundation fits perfectly with the Coca-Cola Youth Partnership platform, which
emphasizes positive youth development through achievement, the arts and
athletics," said Suzanne Glynn Robbins, senior brand manager, Coca-Cola
classic, North American Division of The Coca-Cola Company. "We share the
group's dedication to youth causes and are excited about helping them spread the
word about the terrific things their Foundation does."
In addition to the title sponsorship of the
celebrity basketball tournament in July, Coca-Cola plans to build awareness and
reach of the Challenge for the Children Foundation through a promotion this
summer conducted exclusively at Wal-Mart. Specially-marked 18-, 20- and 24-packs
of Coca-Cola classic will contain collectible stickers of the group (one per
package) featuring an exclusive photo and quote from of each group member, and
information about the Challenge for the Children Foundation and how to get
involved. The promotion will run in participating Wal-Mart stores from mid-June
through July.
