PepsiCo Honored With Vanguard Award At GENYOUth Annual Gala And Commits Additional $1 Million Towards Youth Wellness Programs

NEW YORK, Nov. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On Giving Tuesday, GENYOUth, a public charity committed to improving nutrition, physical activity, and youth leadership in U.S. schools, hosted their annual gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Midtown Manhattan. Employing the theme of "Everyday Superheroes," GENYOUth recognized key individuals, including, Program Advisor, Yesenia Pion, Ohio State University's, Dr. Robert Murray, Pro-football Hall of Famer, Thurman Thomas, President of the National Dairy Council, Jean Ragalie-Carr and most importantly, students who have been steadfast in their support and commitment to improving the nutrition and physical activity environment in schools and communities nationwide. The annual gala is GENYOUth's largest fundraiser of the year and brought together valued partners to celebrate successes and renew their commitment to advance youth wellness.

PepsiCo was honored with the 2018 Vanguard Award, given each year to the organization or individual whose commitment, passion, and support enable GENYOUth to empower students to be change agents for health, wellness, and academic achievement. Through PepsiCo's steadfast commitment to GENYOUth's initiatives, they have helped increase access to over 5 million school breakfast meals, allowed for the expansion of Fuel Up to Play 60, GENYOUth's flagship program, to be available in Spanish in over 73,000 schools, and provided FLAG football kits to engage over 27,000 students in physical activity during summer feeding programs.

As a part of the evening, PepsiCo announced new grants to GENYOUth totaling a million dollars for programs in 2019.

"PepsiCo deeply values the partnership with GENYOUth that has grown over the past 5 years," said Al Carey, PepsiCo North America CEO. "PepsiCo teams across the country lend their support to advance GENYOUth's mission to help kids live healthier lives because it's right in keeping with our own belief in supporting communities where we work. We're confident that our latest investment with GENYOUth will provide needed nutrition to students nationwide and provide valuable nutrition education to Hispanic youth so they can learn and pursue their dreams."

Serving as keynote speakers were New York Yankees star, Aaron Judge, two-time Olympic gold medalist boxer Claressa Shields, and Super Bowl champion and former New York Giants wide receiver, Victor Cruz, who spoke on a panel moderated by CBS and NFL Network TV host and former wide receiver, Nate Burleson. Together, they talked about what it means to be a role model for our nation's youth and how essential health and nutrition resources are for young people. Judge said, "PepsiCo's support of GENYOUth to help children nationwide live healthy active lives is critical, and I was proud to join GENYOUth at their annual gala to honor PepsiCo and talk about empowering America's kids."

GENYOUth CEO, Alexis Glick said, "We are so thankful to everyone who joined us this evening on behalf of our nation's youth. We are committed to making sure this next generation has the resources they need to shine and to helping them use their voice to lead the way forward for healthier, high-achieving futures. Tonight we had a chance to honor our everyday superheroes. Together, as athletes, executives, farmers, team members and individuals, we demonstrated that our collective strength is far greater when we work side by side to equip, engage and empower our nation's youth."

About GENYOUth

GENYOUth is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that empowers students to create a healthier future for themselves and their peers by convening a network of private and public partners to raise funds for youth wellness initiatives that bolster healthy, high-achieving students, schools and communities nationwide. We believe that all students are change-agents, who deserve the opportunity to identify and lead innovative solutions that positively impact nutrition, physical activity, and student success. GENYOUth has had Fuel Up to Play 60 and Adventure Capital programs in over 73,000 schools, reaching over 38 million students in nearly 10 years of operation. For more information about GENYOUth, visit www.genyouthnow.org.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $63 billion in net revenue in 2017, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the world around us. We believe that continuously improving the products we sell, operating responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the world is what enables PepsiCo to run a successful global company that creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

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SOURCE GENYOUth