Community

The star of this video is a young man named Mackenzie Myles who  wanted to get involved in breakdancing. Through a partnership with ParticipACTION, Coca-Cola has helped make that dream a reality. With this partnership we have created a Canadian national youth physical activity program called Sogo Active that provides resources to help inspire youth to get more active in their own communities, in the ways they love the most. Over the last five years, Coca-Cola has supported more than 2,000 local organizations and helped more than 30,000 young people to get moving across Canada — including Mackenzie. It’s our hope that by profiling the people who are making a positive difference in communities across Canada we will inspire and enable more Canadians to join our efforts.

Grant Honors Ingrid Saunders Jones’ 31 Years of Service to The Coca-Cola Company and the CommunityATLANTA, May 2, 2013 -- The Coca-Cola Foundation announced a $1 million multi-year award to the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) to support its operating infrastructure and NCNW’s Economic and Entrepreneurial Development Center, which provides technical assistance and business development assistance to more than 4,000 women annually. Muhtar Kent, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Coca-Cola Company, made the surprise announcement at the retirement celebration of Ingrid Saunders Jones, Chair of The Coca-Cola Foundation and Senior Vice President, Global Community Connections for The Coca-Cola Company.  Jones will retire May 31, 2013, after 31 years of dedicated service. Last year, Jones was elected Chair of the National Council of Negro Women. “Ingrid has always had a passion for serving others, lifting them up, and making a positive difference,” said Kent. “At the same time, Ingrid has a special affection and passion for helping women, economically disadvantaged individuals, and people from an African-American background.  “We could think of no better way to honor her Coca-Cola career and her legacy of service to others than by continuing our support of the National Council of Negro Women through a $1 million donation.” NCNW was founded by Mary McLeod Bethune in 1935 as an umbrella organization to lead, develop, and advocate for women of African descent through research, advocacy, and national and community-based services and programs dedicated to health, education, and economic empowerment. Under the leadership of Dorothy I. Height, who led NCNW for more than four decades, NCNW grew to reach nearly four million women annually.  Empowering women to thrive in business is a global commitment for The Coca-Cola Company, which in 2010 announced its 5by20 initiative to empower 5 million women entrepreneurs by the year 2020. The Company also developed the Global Women’s Initiative, an internal/external program, led by Kent to advance women to leadership positions within the company and throughout its external value chain.   About The Coca-Cola FoundationSince its inception, The Coca-Cola Foundation has awarded more than $500 million to support global sustainable community initiatives, including water stewardship, community recycling, active healthy living, and education. For more information about The Coca-Cola Foundation, please go to www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/foundation_coke.html 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, the world's most valuable brand, 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 beverages at a rate of more than 1.8 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 or visit our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com.

A Story of Recovery In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, people showed incredible kindness and generosity to one another as they worked to rebuild their homes and communities.  Neighbors helped neighbors and strangers worked together to  care for those in need.  When documentary filmmakers, New Yorkers and volunteers Nancy Kagan and David Sauvage told us they wanted to tell these stories, we knew we had to help. Take a moment to watch these inspiring films. We believe in a world fueled by kindness, and we hope they inspire you to pitch in and make a difference in your own community.

Women living in rural areas of Africa and India are getting a boost into entrepreneurship by Coca-Cola's Mutar Kent teaming up with inventor Dean Kamen to distribute clean water distillers. At the Women in the World Conference, chairman and CEO of the Coca-Cola Company Muhtar Kent committed to the distribution of the distiller, called Slingshot, to African women in rural areas. The Slingshot can produce clean water from any fetid source for about one penny per gallon. Women will become the small business entrepreneurs and operators who will be able to sell the water to villagers. The bonus is that the distiller also produces electricity that can be used to power cell phones and lights, another revenue stream for the budding entrepreneurs. This program is part of the commitment Coca-Cola made to UN Women in 2011 when Kent announced the 5 BY 20 Initiative. This program aims to lift into business 5 million women-run small businesses by 2020. To date, they have launched programs in 12 countries and have reached 300,000 women. I was first introduced to the Slingshot at Singularity University, where Dean Kamen presented the distiller model he had been working on for almost 14 years. He presented the results of a pilot test run in Calcutta, India, that demonstrated the utility and simple operating system that could be implemented by people with no education or previous experience enabling them to become entrepreneurs. The simplicity of the distiller that can generate clean water from almost any refuse or combustible material really impressed me. The Slingshot is one of more than 440 patents and devices invented by the prolific Kamen. As successful as he is at inventing medical and clean energy devices, one of his proudest initiatives is FIRST, the remarkable robot competition in which junior high and high school kids compete to build robots, all using the same basic box of supplied tools. In 2012, 350,000 kids competed. This Slingshot distribution program is remarkable proof that corporations can drive innovation, contribute to the communities they serve and activate double bottom line results. Undoubtedly, Kent sees this initiative in the best interest of his company for it is likely he is counting on these women to become distributors of other products from Coke in the future. I am a strong believer in sustainable social entrepreneurship, and this program is meant to be just that. It will be sustainable as it lifts new consumers from rural areas in Africa and India into budding consumers. It's just great business.Kay Koplovitz is the founder of USA Network and chairman and CEO of Koplovitz & Co. LLC. Follow her on Twitter @KayKoplovitz. More StoriesSlingshot: Inventor Dean Kamen’s Revolutionary Clean Water MachineSmart Economics: Coke’s Muhtar Kent Explores Link Between Empowered Women and Stronger CommunitiesAt Davos Investing in Women Emerges as a Business StrategyCoca-Cola India Develops Solar-Powered Coolers for Rural AreasPartners of Women-in-Business: IFC and 5by20 Join ForcesBuilding Stronger Businesses, Families and Communities One Woman at a Time: A 5by20 InfographicCoke Brings 5by20 Initiative to China to Empower WomenMalehlonoholo Moleko: The Making of an EntrepreneurWomen in the Workplace: A Catalyst for Change The Evolution of Women’s Empowerment at The Coca-Cola Company

More Than 27 Grants for Sustainability Initiatives across the U.S. in 2012, Gearing Up for a “Greener” 2013 ATLANTA, April 22, 2013 – It could be as simple as recycling a plastic bottle, installing a rain barrel or participating in a local cleanup. Everyone can play a part in protecting the planet and Coca-Cola is helping community organizations across the country do so.  Through grants of all sizes, The Coca-Cola Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company, supports water stewardship, community recycling and energy conservation initiatives. These grants make a significant impact by supporting organizations that are reducing our environmental footprint. For example, a $250,000 grant to the Bonneville Environmental Foundation provides support for watershed conservation efforts along seven miles of the East Fork Bear River in Utah. It is just one of the more than 100 community watershed projects that we support across North America. In Massachusetts, the Save the Harbor/Save the Bay organization received a $25,000 grant. With this funding, 10,000 young people from more than 100 youth and community organizations will experience environmental education programming. Working with Keep America Beautiful, the Recycling Bin Grant program provides more than 8,000 recycling bins annually to 100+ local organizations and promotes local community recycling efforts. More than 46 colleges and universities participate, making it easier for students and communities to put their used containers into the recycling system for future sustainable use. Since 2010, more than 29,000 recycling bins have been distributed through the program. Last week, more than 150 communities, including Muskegon Community College in Western Michigan and the City of Dayton, Ohio, were announced as 2013 Recycling Bin Grant recipients. “One of the priorities of The Coca-Cola Foundation is to help create vibrant, sustainable communities across the country,” said Sonya Soutus, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs & Communications, Coca-Cola North America Group. “By working with local organizations that promote environmental stewardship, we are helping to build sustainable communities for generations to come.” Coca-Cola facilities across the country are supporting Earth Day within their local communities. In Columbus, Coca-Cola will sponsor the Earth Jam Fashion Show to benefit the Ohio Sierra Club and Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Central Ohio. The event will mix fashion, style and a focus on the environment to raise awareness and generate funds for these two organizations. The show will provide more than 1,500 guests an opportunity to peek inside the world of fashion while supporting the Sierra Club’s water initiatives and environmental education programs sponsored by BBBS.In Colorado, Coca-Cola and Colorado State University hosted a fun-filled day in the mountains planting willow trees in the Hayman watershed. Over time, the trees will help restore more than 200 million liters of fresh water for the local Front Range community.In Chicago, the Foundation announced a one-time grant to Keep America Beautiful. Through this grant and a match from The Coca-Cola Company, more than 50,000 recycling carts will roll-out across the city of Chicago. This will support local efforts to give over 600,000 Chicago households a convenient means to recycle by the end of 2013.Houston Coca-Cola sent employee volunteers and their families to clean-up Houston’s Hermann Park.  These employee volunteers removed trash/debris and helped clear invasive plants along the Bayou Parkland.  Restoring native habitat is vital to water conservation due to the unique nature of native plants especially in Texas and more so in Houston given that the metro area has 3-5 ecosystems. Centrally located, Hermann Park is one of the City of Houston's most popular and historically significant public green spaces.  About The Coca-Cola Foundation Since its inception, The Coca-Cola Foundation has awarded more than $500 million to support global sustainable community initiatives, including water stewardship, community recycling, active healthy living, and education. For more information about The Coca-Cola Foundation, please go to www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/foundation_coke.html About The Coca-Cola CompanyThe 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, the world's most valuable brand, our Company's portfolio features 15 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 beverages at a rate of 1.8 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-colacompany.com, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo or visit our blog at www.coca-colablog.com. # # #

It’s time we move from recovery to resurgence. The global economic crisis made clear the need to reassess, to innovate and ensure that growth is equitable and sustainable. If we want to successfully navigate this new world, we need new thinking, new partners. I see a solution in women. Women make up half of the global whole and control $20 trillion in annual consumer spending. Our decisions and contributions have a measurable impact on local businesses, regional economies and the transnational marketplace. If we leverage women’s economic power as a force for development, we will further our shared, global endeavor for human progress. When women advance, we all advance. Investing in women has become a new standard in the public and private sectors. From international development agencies to multinational corporations, those in leadership and policymaking positions are devoting time and resources to women’s advancement — to enhancing women’s skills and leveraging their unique contribution. The World Bank’s 2012 World Development Report finds that increases in women’s decision-making influence accelerate development, and studies from the World Economic Forum further confirm a strong correlation between an increase in gender equality and an increase in gross domestic product per capita. As the world recovers from the deepest, global economic crisis in the past 80 years, numerous studies show that one of the smartest investments in long-term growth and development is women’s empowerment and increased economic engagement. Research from the World Bank, Ernst & Young and others indicate that the real drivers of the economy are women — as business leaders, employees, consumers and entrepreneurs. From a global perspective, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) research representing data for 59 economies — or 52 percent of the world’s population and 84 percent of world GDP — shows that 104 million women have started and managed new businesses, adding to the approximately 83 million women who lead businesses launched at least three and a half years earlier. Together, these 187 million women entrepreneurs demonstrate the enormous contribution business women make to economic growth worldwide. Moreover, numerous studies suggest that because women tend to spend income on those around them, investing in women also produces a significant multiplier effect, bringing not just increased revenue to local economies, but better-educated children, healthier families, and more stable, secure and prosperous communities. I recently returned from India, increasingly recognized as South Asia’s bright spot for women’s entrepreneurship. Women are well positioned to enter the workforce and create micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, or ascend the corporate ladder as leaders who drive company development. This June, Dell’s 2012 Women Global Entrepreneurship study found that surveyed women entrepreneurs in India expect median business growth of 90 percent, and analysts from the World Bank, World Economic Forum and Global Entrepreneurship Monitor all point to India as a growing reserve for women’s entrepreneurship. As Indian companies increasingly invest in professional development for women, we met with members of our network in the country to see how we could work together to reinforce and extend this investment by providing essential tools to increase women’s engagement and advancement — access to markets and global supply chains, mentoring, and leadership development opportunities. Our organization, Vital Voices, was founded more than 15 years ago on a very simple but powerful idea — no country can move forward if half its population is left behind. We pursue our work in recognition of a powerful truth: Women — educated, employed, empowered — make waves as agents of progress. We have built a global network of 12,000 leaders in 144 countries — they are entrepreneurs, human rights lawyers, civil society organizers — and each invests in others as she has been invested in, creating a multiplier effect in her community and beyond. What we’ve seen time and again is that women leaders have a remarkable capacity to support one another, to mobilize and sustain networks for change. We’ve seen that women, long excluded from traditional power structures, lead differently. In our changing world, the unique qualities of their leadership have taken on a new significance, a new power. I believe that the strengths they possess, the behaviors that set them apart, are the ones that will lead us forward in the coming years: inclusiveness, conviction, creativity, mentorship, collaboration. In today’s world we need leaders who leverage power, skills and expertise to inspire collective empowerment. We need to look to women — proven catalysts for growth — as an opportunity, as a solution. Alyse Nelson is the president and CEO of Vital Voices, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to identify, invest in and bring visibility to extraordinary women around the world by unleashing their leadership potential to transform lives and accelerate peace and prosperity in their communities. The Coca-Cola Company and Vital Voices are collaborative partners on women’s empowerment initiatives. To learn more about The Coca-Cola Company’s 5by20 initiative, please visit www.5by20.com.More Women in the Workplace Articles:Women in the Workplace: Aiming for the TopWomen in the Workplace: A Catalyst for ChangeEmpowering Women Makes Strong Business Sense

The Coca-Cola Company was recently recognized by two leading Hispanic organizations for work on inclusion and diversity, demonstrating our leadership and commitment to equality and promotion of all people. Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) announced that The Coca-Cola Company scored 90 on the Corporate Inclusion Index for 2012, an increase of 5 points from 2011. AT&T was the only company to receive a higher score of 95. “It’s truly an honor to be recognized for our commitment to diversity,” said Frank Ros, Vice President, Hispanic Strategies. “It reaffirms that our diversity strategies and programs continue to drive positive results. Fortune 100 companies and corporate members voluntarily submit data annually for HACR’s Corporate Inclusion Index survey. HACR tracks and evaluates inclusion practices related to employment, procurement, philanthropy, and governance, then analyzes the implications for the Hispanic community. In addition, Javier Goizueta accepted the Corporate Leadership Award from the Hispanic Federation, a non-profit member organization that focuses on education, health, immigration, civic engagement, economic empowerment and environmental sustainability. The Corporate Leadership Award is given to companies that show outstanding commitment to the Hispanic community by supporting causes important to them. This is the first time that a major corporation in the non-alcoholic beverage industry received the top award. “We believe diversity leads to more creativity, which drives more and better innovation, ultimately resulting in positive business results,” Ros said. “It’s just smart business.” At 15 percent of the nation's population, Hispanics now represent the fastest-growing group of Americans in several categories: consumers, employees, business owners, taxpayers, and voters, according to HACR, which advocates for the inclusion of Hispanics in Corporate America at a level commensurate with the U.S. Hispanic community's economic contributions.