The Coca-Cola Company and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund Continue Partnership to Help Hispanics Achieve College Dreams

Coca-Cola For The Dream program inspires and empowers Hispanic families to prepare, plan and pay for college

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today Coca-Cola announced a donation of $150,000 to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF), the nation’s largest not-for-profit organization supporting Hispanic American higher education. In an effort to empower Latino students and their families with the resources needed to go to college and achieve a higher education, Coca-Cola is honored to continue this 35-year partnership with HSF.

“Coca-Cola celebrates moments of educational achievement and understands the importance Hispanic families place on education,” said Juan Pablo Gonzalez, Senior Brand Manager at The Coca-Cola Company. “Although college enrollment for Hispanics has had a tremendous increase over the last decade, this population lags behind other groups on college graduation and degrees earned. We want to help provide Latino students with the opportunity to achieve their educational goals and become leaders.”

Coca-Cola For The Dream scholarships are awarded to qualifying students who are pursuing a college education. To participate in the 2016 Coca-Cola For The Dream program, students must apply via www.Coke.com/ForTheDream between January 1 and March 30, 2016. Thanks to a generous donation by Regal Cinema, an additional $25,000 in scholarships will be awarded by Coca-Cola and HSF, bringing the total donation to $175,000.

“It is more important than ever for us to provide students and families with the resources they need to successfully complete a higher education,” said Fidel A. Vargas, President and CEO, Hispanic Scholarship Fund. “Thanks to Coca-Cola, we will be able to increase this support. We are extremely proud of this partnership and their continued commitment.”

In addition to the scholarships, Coca-Cola is offering a special Educational Toolkit that includes a backpack and a thumb drive loaded with valuable information to help students navigate the college application process and the road to college. The Educational Toolkits will be available during February and March, and consumers are encouraged to acquire theirs as soon as possible to start using its content and meet application deadlines. Proof of purchase is required to access the promotion; please visit www.Coke.com/ForTheDream for details.

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, one of the world's most valuable and recognizable brands, our Company's portfolio features 20 billion-dollar brands including, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, POWERADE, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia, Dasani, FUZE TEA 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 1.9 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, visit our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com or find us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/the-coca-cola-company.

About the Hispanic Scholarship Fund

Founded in 1975, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund empowers Latino families with the knowledge and resources to successfully complete a higher education, while providing scholarships and support services to as many exceptional Hispanic American students as possible. HSF strives to make college education a top priority for every Latino family across the nation, mobilizing our community to proactively advance that goal – each individual, over a lifetime, in every way he/she can. HSF seeks to give its Scholars all the tools they need to do well in their course work, graduate, enter a profession, excel, help lead our nation going forward, and mentor the generations to come. As the nation’s largest not-for-profit organization supporting Hispanic American higher education, the Fund has awarded over $470 million in scholarships and provides a range of ancillary programs for students, HSF Scholars, Alumni, and parents. For more information about the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, please visit: HSF.net.

The Coca-Cola Company
Melina Baetti, 404-676-1533
mbaetti@coca-cola.com
or
Tatiana Marshall, 305-532-7950 ext. 272
tatiana.marshall@newlink-group.com

Source: The Coca-Cola Company

Released January 6, 2016