Basketball is the number one active sport for youth between the ages of 12-17, but neighborhood parks are faced with deteriorating courts and unclean spaces. Because of this, Sprite, a division of The Coca-Cola Company, donated $10,000 to Shoal Creek II Park in Decatur on Aug. 27 through the Sprite Spark Parks Project.
With its partnership with Sprite Spark Parks Project, the park’s two full basketball courts and four half courts were resurfaced and given new goals and backboards. In addition to the renovations to Shoal Park II, the day involved 30 volunteers from Coca-Cola who cleaned up and landscaped the park, a basketball tournament hosted by Sprite and DeKalb County along with a cookout for all the attendees.
Carolyn Taggart, a resident of Decatur for 33 years and president of Shoal Creek Park, reflected, “as a resident, it is a wonderful idea to clean up our parks because it gets our kids off the streets and we get more volunteers and community involvement, which is essential in building a safe neighborhood.”
The overall Sprite Spark Parks Project will invest $2 million into building or revamping basketball courts, community spaces, playgrounds and athletic fields across America throughout 2011. “It is important to provide healthy parks and communities for neighborhoods so residents can not only have a safe place to engage in a healthy and active lifestyle, but also take pride in their community,” said Sprite Brand Manager Bobby Oliver.
In Georgia, the Sprite Sparks Park Project has renovated three basketball courts and over 150 community spaces nationwide. Currently in the last phase of the initiative, consumers can donate their Sprite My Coke Rewards giving a chance for their local school to receive a $25,000 grant for an outdoor active space.
“Through this donation to Shoal Park II, we really want to promote healthy living and an engaged community,” said Diane Waugh, Manager of Public Affairs and Communication- Southeast Region for Coke. “These renovations allow the residents to walk the sidewalks, come to a clean, safe park and let the youth have facilities to play in such a way that the next Michael Jordan could be on this court!”
To get involved with the Sprite Spark Parks Project, visit www.spritesparkparks.com
Story Update: On Aug. 30, Doing Good covered The Manis Family Memorial Fund Spirit Day that was held at the Chick-Fil-A on Moore Road in Suwanee on Aug. 26. An overwhelming turnout and response from the Atlanta community, including Atlanta Braves' pitcher Tim Hudson's Hudson Family Foundation, added over $10,000 toward the $5,000 already raised for the Manis brothers. One hundred percent of the money raised will go toward immediate and long-term care of the three younger brothers, who were also in the accident, along with building a trust that will allow the brothers to attend college and have a safe future.
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