PepsiCo, one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies, has awarded the Ventura Family YMCA a grant for $2,500 to support health and wellness programs related to Activate America, a long-term initiative designed to strengthen and promote the YMCA’s abilities to help more Americans live healthier lives.
Specifically, the grant money will be used to rent the Anacapa Middle School gymnasium so adult members in Ventura and other local communities can play basketball and exercise indoor for free during upcoming Open Gym Nights.
The PepsiCo grant also will allow the YMCA to bring certified nutritionists and other health-care professionals into the facility to hold free quarterly health seminars that are available to any adult in the community, with the goal of educating them on how to implement and maintain a healthy lifestyle. The remainder of the grant will be used to help the YMCA start its first teen and adult 3-on-3 basketball leagues.
The grant is one of 400 that PepsiCo is allocating to YMCAs around the country, for a total gift of $1 million for 2009.
“PepsiCo and the YMCA have a shared commitment to find better ways to help Americans lead healthier lifestyles,” said Mica Wilson, a healthier lifestyles marketer for PepsiCo. “Working together, we have tremendous potential to encourage individuals and families across the country to become more physically active and make better nutritional choices.”
“We are very grateful for PepsiCo’s support of our health and wellness initiatives,” sports director said David Palomares. “Through our long-term alliance, we are working together to reverse our country’s obesity epidemic and the dangerous course of physical inactivity and poor nutrition that threatens the long term-health of our country.”
— Bettina Guerrero represents the Ventura Family YMCA.