Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan Makes Spirits Bright for Metro Atlanta Residents
Coca-Cola Donates $20,000 to Help Local Children in Need
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Let it glow! Let it glow! Let it glow! The Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan, illuminated by 25,000 red and white sparking lights rolled into Stone Mountain to spread the spirit of the holidays during its 15-day metro Atlanta visit.
Stone Mountain and DeKalb County, Ga., elected officials and community leaders celebrated with Coca-Cola representatives in the spirit of giving by donating unwrapped gifts to add to Coca-Cola's $20,000 donation to Atlanta Toys for Tots. Pictured: (L to R, front): Kathy Register, District Director for Congressman Hank Johnson; Coca-Cola Polar Bear; Leonardo McClarty, president of DeKalb Chamber of Commerce; Diane Waugh, public affairs and communications manager of Coca-Cola Refreshments; Burke Brennan, DeKalb County interim chief of communications; (L to R, back): Richard Mailman, Stone Mountain councilmember; Dori Scales of Congressman Hank Johnson's office; State Senator Gloria Butler (D-Stone Mountain); John Evans, president DeKalb NAACP; Karyn Hume, vice president of sales of Coca-Cola Refreshments; Cyril Mungal, Stone Mountain councilmember, Master Sergeant Edward Barrett of Atlanta Toys for Tots and Gunnery Sergeant Marquez. (Photo: Business Wire)
The Caravan was in town to help celebrate Coca-Cola's national partnership with Toys for Tots with a local gift drive. Coca-Cola also donated $20,000 and a PlayStation(R) 3 and a PlayStation(R) Move motion controller to the Atlanta Toys for Tots chapter as part of an overall $125,000 national donation to help provide toys to underprivileged kids in eight cities across the country.
People from across metro Atlanta stepped into the festive wonderland, complete with decorated trees and holiday music, to drop off gifts for Toys for Tots and donate My Coke Rewards points to Toys for Tots. Dozens of local residents helped make sure Santa's sleigh was filled to the brim by donating toys for children in need.
In addition, Coca-Cola will randomly select one individual, who donated My Coke Rewards points or an unwrapped toy at the Stone Mountain Caravan event to receive a PlayStation(R) 3 and a PlayStation(R) Move motion controller. A PlayStation(R) kiosk was enjoyed onsite for demonstrations.
Special guests attending the Dec. 8 Caravan festivities included Georgia, DeKalb County and Stone Mountain public officials and community leaders: DeKalb Chamber of Commerce President Leonardo McClarty, Senator Gloria Butler (D-Stone Mountain), Dr. Pam Speaks of DeKalb County School Board, Stone Mountain Councilmembers Richard Mailman and Cyril Mungal, John Evans, president of the NAACP of DeKalb, Burke Brennan, DeKalb County's interim chief of communications, District Director Kathy Register from Congressman Hank Johnson's office, and others.
"The Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan gives community members an opportunity to celebrate the spirit of giving and help brighten the holidays for families in need," said Karyn Hume, vice president of sales, Coca-Cola Refreshments, who presented the check to Atlanta Toys for Tots' Master Sergeant Edward Barrett. "It's a place where families and friends can Open Happiness and enjoy the magic of the holiday season together."
Caravan visitors had an opportunity to share their holiday wish lists with Santa and snapped photos with the jolly old elf. They also were encouraged to send a greeting to Santa's workshop by dropping it in the North Pole Outpost located at the Caravan.
For anyone who was unable to visit the Caravan, Coca-Cola is kicking off the fourth year of its partnership with Toys for Tots with an online gift drive on MyCokeRewards.com. The program promotes the magic of giving by encouraging people to donate their My Coke Rewards points to generate gifts for underprivileged kids.
Participating is easy for anyone, anywhere. From now through the end of the year, My Coke Rewards points found under caps and on packaging of more than 60 Coca-Cola products may be donated to Toys for Tots at www.mycokerewards.com. As the donations accumulate, Toys for Tots will redeem the points for a variety of gifts. With a goal of raising five million points, the program will enable Toys for Tots to put thousands of gifts into the hands of children and teens in need this year.
Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan
The Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan is an 18-wheel semi-truck with a 64-foot long, 13-foot high trailer entirely illuminated by sparkling red and white lights. A red cab, outlined in glowing red and white lights, pulls the trailer, which features the smiling likeness of the Coca-Cola Santa. A festive holiday scene travels inside the trailer and is assembled at local events to add to the cheer. The Santa image decorating the trailer is a reproduction of one of the timeless oil paintings produced by artist Haddon Sundblom. In 1931, Sundblom was commissioned by Coca-Cola to illustrate the image of Santa Claus for a magazine advertising campaign. His distinctive interpretation of St. Nick depicted a merry gentleman with rosy cheeks, a fluffy white beard and a red outfit with a large black belt. Since that time, the Coca-Cola Santa has become a universal image of the jolly old elf associated with Christmas and Coca-Cola that is recognized around the world.
Coca-Cola and the Holidays
Coca-Cola is also bringing the joy of the holidays to people across the country in a number of other ways this season, including:
-- Holiday Commercial -Refreshing a tradition of compelling holiday
campaigns, The Coca-Cola Company introduced a new, global holiday
television commercial which will be aired in more than 90 countries
around the world. The commercial, entitled "Snow Globe," features iconic
Coca-Cola holiday imagery including Santa Claus, the Coca-Cola Holiday
Caravan delivery trucks and the Coca-Cola Polar Bear, as well as a new
song, "Shake Up Christmas," written and performed by the Grammy
Award-winning band Train. The spot features several vignettes of
individuals, living in a snow globe sitting on Santa's desk, who are
feeling separated from friends and family.While taking a break to enjoy
a Coca-Cola, Santa is inspired to pick up the snow globe and gently tilt
it, creating a chain of events which reunites the lonely individuals
with their friends and family.
-- Holiday Packaging -Coca-Cola multi-packs, cans and 2-liter bottles carry
through the theme introduced by the new holiday commercial by bearing an
image of Santa enjoying a bottle of Coca-Cola inside a snow globe.
Additionally, several Coca-Cola trademark brands, including Diet Coke,
Caffeine-Free Diet Coke, Sprite, Sprite Zero and Coca-Cola Zero are
celebrating the season by featuring festive images of snowflakes or
evergreen trees. Packaging, which features instructions on how people
can win PlayStation(R) 3 and PlayStation(R) Move motion controllers
through My Coke Rewards, is currently available in stores.
-- Special Offers -In select markets around the county, special Coca-Cola
holiday displays will be stocked with complimentary coupon booklets.
These booklets feature high-value coupons for important holiday meal
items from brands like Campbell's, Hidden Valley, Pepperidge Farm and
Coca-Cola. The displays were installed in early November, and the
coupons will expire Jan. 15.
About The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation
Toys for Tots, a 63-year national charitable program run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, provides happiness and hope to economically disadvantaged children during each Christmas holiday season. The toys, books and other gifts collected and distributed by the Marines offer these children recognition, confidence and positive memories for a lifetime. It is such experiences that help children become responsible citizens and caring members of their community. Last year the Marine Corps fulfilled the holiday hopes and dreams of 7.4 million less fortunate children in nearly 700 communities nationwide. For more information, visit www.toysfortots.org.
About My Coke Rewards
With more than 15 million registered members, www.mycokerewards.com is one of the top consumer packaged goods loyalty websites and the number one beverage website in the U.S. My Coke Rewards helps consumers find lots of little and big things that put a smile on their faces every time they enjoy a Coca-Cola product. Consumers may join My Coke Rewards by going online and setting up a rewards account at www.mycokerewards.com. Members then accumulate points by entering the My Coke Rewards codes found under the cap or on the inside flap of fridge packs of any of the hundreds of participating Coca-Cola products in a variety of brands and sizes. My Coke Rewards codes may also be found on bonus offers on cups, scratch cards and coupons. Members then easily redeem rewards for great prizes and gifts, enter sweepstakes or donate points to their local school, favorite charity or cause. Since its inception in 2006, My Coke Rewards members have entered more than one billion codes from participating brands.
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. Along with Coca-Cola(R), recognized as the world's most valuable brand, the Company's portfolio includes 12 other billion dollar brands, including Diet Coke(R), Fanta(R), Sprite(R), Coca-Cola Zero(R), vitaminwater(R), Powerade(R), Minute Maid(R), Simply(R) and Georgia(R). Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company's beverages at a rate of 1.6 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that protect the environment, conserve resources and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. For more information about our Company, please visit our website at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.
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Source: The Coca-Cola Company
Released December 9, 2010