Vancouver (British Columbia) February 1, 2010 – Coca-Cola Canada today announced details of their $350,000 investment to Vancouver’s inner city. The funding will create an outdoor sport court, which will consist of a hard court playing surface that will provide the youth and families of the Ray-Cam community the opportunity to get active and participate in sport in their own neighborhood. It is through projects such as this one that Coca-Cola Canada is using its sponsorship of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games as an opportunity to make a positive contribution to Canada.
The Coca-Cola Inner City Sport Court is the result of extensive consultation with the community. Local youth are instrumental members of the advisory committee.
In addition to building the court, Coca-Cola has committed to a minimum of two years of financial support for the Ray-Cam Cooperative Community Centre for programming, coaching and a variety of sports clinics. Additionally, 7,000 toques, scarves and vests made from the actual containers collected at the Olympic Games venues will be provided to Community Centre residents. Coca-Cola’s Inner City Sport Court project has been made possible with the help of Vancouver’s Ray Cam Cooperative Community Centre, BC Housing, Encorp Pacific, VANOC, Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation and 2010 Legacies Now.
“The sport court will be a positive force in the community, providing a safe place for youth to get active, stay healthy and gain new skills,” said Steve Bouchard, president, Ray-Cam Centre. “Youth leaders have been instrumental in bringing this project to life. We hope their achievements inspire them to continue to give back to the community.”
“I am excited for the youth of the community as the Sport Court will give people of all ages the chance to play sports and be healthy and active,” said James Naknakin, youth advisory member.
“Coca-Cola believes that sustainable businesses need sustainable communities,” said Nicola Kettlitz, general manager, Coca-Cola Olympic Project Team. “Our company is proud to support those in need in the local community with a lasting legacy of the Olympic Games. We appreciate the help we have received from the people of Vancouver. The Olympics would not have been possible without their support.”
“The Province of B.C. welcomes Coca-Cola’s commitment to improving the lives of people living in Vancouver’s inner city neighbourhoods,” said Minister of State for the Olympics and ActNow BC, Mary McNeil. “The 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games represent an incredible opportunity to promote healthy, active living for all British Columbians.”
The RayCam Community Centre has approximately 6,000 registered members. Ninety-eight percent of the members are low income with some 45% below poverty line. The mission of the centre is to encourage and support community members to utilize their strengths and gifts in the improvement of day to day life of the community and to provide access to recreational, educational, social, cultural and economic program which advance the opportunities and abilities for community members, especially children and youth while enabling them to make successful and fulfilling life choices in a safe and accepting environment.
“The recycled bottles are creating value as clothing as well as a source of funds for the construction of the court. Each beverage consumed at the Olympic Games will help support this community,” stated Mr. Kettlitz. “The importance and value of recycling has allowed this dream to become a reality. There is value in plastic bottles – whether they are reused to make new bottles, made into clothing or being collected to generate funds that can be invested in community projects.”
The Coca-Cola Inner City Sport Court Olympic Games Legacy announcement is just a small part of Coca-Cola’s sustainability commitments for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and the Olympic Torch Relay. Coca-Cola’s Olympic Games Sustainability Program profiles its global environmental best practices, which include hybrid electric sales and delivery vehicles, the first HFC-free coolers used in Canada, the use of new plant-based bottles and a commitment to collect 100 percent of all Coca-Cola bottles enjoyed at Olympic Games venues. All Coca-Cola beverages sold at the Olympic Games will be in our new PlantBottle™. The PlantBottle™ is a beverage bottle that contains PET made from plants (sugar cane and molasses). TCCC has developed a process for making PET plastic bottles that contain a blend of petroleum-based plastic and up to 30 percent plant-based materials.
Coca-Cola’s Olympic Games Sustainability Plan is designed to outline the holistic methods Coca-Cola is using to minimize its environmental impact while demonstrating to Canadians how their own small changes can make a big difference.
About Coca-Cola and the Olympic Movement
The Coca-Cola Company has been an Olympic Games partner since 1928 and is the longest continuous corporate supporter of the Olympic Movement. The Company works with National Olympic Committees in more than 200 countries to help athletes train and compete. More than 90 percent of the Coca-Cola system’s investment in the Olympic Games is directed to athlete development and to assist in staging the Games. Products of The Coca-Cola Company refresh athletes, volunteers, officials and spectators during the Olympic Games; and supporting programs such as the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay allows Coca-Cola to help share the Olympic Spirit around the world. The Coca-Cola Company is the exclusive nonalcoholic beverage provider to the Olympic Games through 2020.
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