One of the things I love most about working with different brands (besides the fact that it helps support my family, of course) is the chance to get to know more about the brand itself … to learn details behind the brand’s whole mission and beyond the whole outward public image (just like when I met with the Jones Dairy Farm team last year, and attended Starbucks’ Coffee College a few years ago). I love delving deep behind the company curtain and learning the hows, whys, and other inner workings of a brand. The stuff that isn’t regularly publicized that you wish you knew.
Which likely also explains the stack of business books on my nightstand.
And so that was exactly how I found myself on a conference call with the folks from Dr. Pepper Snapple (DPS). I didn’t realize exactly HOW MANY drinks the group represents. They are the third largest beverage manufacturer in the US, but number one when it comes to the variety of drinks they produce. They actually sell more than 50 brands of carbonated soft drinks, teas, juices, mixers, and other premium beverages.
Craziness.
Although we rarely drink soda, Snapple, one of their products, is a staple in our household, as is their RealLemon juice, Orangina, Mott’s, and the occasional ginger ale, for those moments when I absolutely, positively have to have something with bubbles. Until that recent telephone call, I honestly didn’t realize all those items were from the same company.
#mindblown
But the most important thing I learned during that call?
I learned how committed the Dr. Pepper Snapple group is to making sure kids have plenty of active play during their day. It’s part of their whole calories in/calories out focus, and when I was originally pitched to join the call, that’s exactly why I wanted to listen in.
As a mom to two young kids, having opportunities for active play is a huge part of our lives. Both of my kids play sports and lead very active lives, and we’re lucky to have so many opportunities to do so. Between cheer, soccer, track, Girl Scouts, and many nearby playgrounds to visit, there is no shortage of ways to keep moving. The work hard/play hard balance is so important to growing healthy kids. While they need days filled with nothing on the schedule (and we totally have them), they also need time and resources to be active, run around, and play.
Unfortunately that opportunity isn’t available for all kids, which is where the Dr. Pepper Snapple group’s new initiative, Let’s Play, comes in.
Launched in 2011, the Let’s Play mission is to provide kids and families with the tools, places and inspiration to make active play a daily priority. They have committed more than $28 million since the program launched, impacting millions of youth serving organizations across the US, as well as Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, working with two great non-profit organizations – KaBOOM! and Good Sports:
- KaBOOM!: In partnership with KaBOOM!, DPS is providing the PLACES for younger kids to play with grants to fund playground improvements and funds and volunteer muscle to build new playgrounds from the ground up in communities across the country.
- Good Sports: In partnership with Good Sports, DPS is providing the TOOLS through sports equipment grants that benefit underfunded youth serving organizations that help provide opportunities for structured team sports. DPS partnered with Good Sports to expand efforts to include older children who lack the opportunity to participate in organized sports due to the cost of equipment, uniforms and entry fees.
Let’s Play Results
- Since DPS began the Let’s Play Program, it has worked with KaBOOM! to build or fix up 2,188 playgrounds across the country and with Good Sports to donate $1.6 million in grants for new sports equipment to 803 organizations, impacting more than 7.5 million kids.
- By 2017, DPS’s Let’s Play initiative will provide nearly 10 million kids with more opportunities to play with either new or improved playgrounds and sports equipment, helping kids achieve healthier lifestyles.
- Over 2,300 DPS employees have participated in KaBOOM! playground builds, totaling more than 18,000 volunteer hours.
The DPS’ commitment to this program (and their to-date results) are nothing short of amazing. Just think, every time you crack open up a bottle of Orangina, or use a little RealLemon in a recipe, you are, in a small way, helping more playgrounds get built.
And how wonderful is that?
To find out more, visit their facebook page or check them out on Pinterest.
And lastly, if you know a neighborhood that needs a playground or assistance in fixing one up, you can nominate them right here.
*My participation in the call and this post was sponsored. Thank you for supporting the brands that support my family.
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