Final Two CFL Players Go Head-to-Head Off The Field In The Pepsi Refresh
Project - CFL Challenge

Fritz and Bagg Battle it Out for $50,000 for their charities

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Nov. 12 /CNW/ - It won't be a Winnipeg-Saskatchewan rivalry on the football field this November, but there's one heck of a game playing out off the field as Winnipeg Blue Bomber Luke Fritz and Saskatchewan Roughrider Rob Bagg earn the top two spots in the Pepsi Refresh Project CFL Challenge.  The winner's chosen charity will receive $50,000 when the Challenge concludes on Wednesday, November 24.

On October 8, The Pepsi Refresh Project teamed up with the Canadian Football League to challenge eight CFL players to come up with great ideas. Each player came up with his own "refreshing" idea to make Canada a better place. CFL athletes from across Canada have now become part of the Pepsi Refresh Project's movement that is sweeping the nation.

"Our entire league congratulates Luke and Rob and their charities, as well as all of the fans who have voted for them," said Mark Cohon, Commissioner of the Canadian Football League.

"We're enormously grateful to our fans for their passion, to our players for their commitment to their communities, and to Pepsi for shining a spotlight on that commitment with the Pepsi Refresh Project CFL Challenge."

"Like the national Pepsi Refresh Program, the CFL Challenge is a ground-breaking initiative, replicating the exciting journey that the teams take to the Grey Cup," says Dale Hooper, VP Marketing, PepsiCo Beverages Canada.  "Consumers can add to that excitement themselves by voting and having an impact on their community.  It's not just good for football; it's good for Canada."

Since day one, the competition has been fierce, with the players and their charities of choice campaigning hard online to get their supporters to vote for their ideas.  On November 4, voting closed and four players grabbed the Final Four CFL Challenge berths:  Luke Fritz of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and his charity, Winnipeg Harvest, Rob Bagg of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and his charity, The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of Canada, Marwan Hage of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and his charity, McMaster Children's Hospital, and Anthony Calvillo, of the Montreal Alouettes and his charity, The Cedars Cancer Institute.

Today, it's down to the Final Two - Fritz and Bagg -- and voting opens at 4 pm. Every vote counts!   By voting for their favourite idea at www.CFL.ca/PepsiRefresh, Canadians will decide which player will win the special Pepsi Refresh Project Grant for his charity.  Voting for the final two players will close on November 24, 2010.

"We're thrilled to be part of this exciting challenge," says Winnipeg Harvest Executive Director, David Northcott.  "I think it shows that working together, Canadians can really make a difference to their communities. 

"JDRF is thrilled and proud of the opportunity Rob has provided to the Foundation," says Andrew McKee, President and CEO, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.  "We congratulate Rob on the success of making it to the final two! His participation has helped generate awareness about the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and type 1 diabetes, which affects over 300,000 Canadians. We encourage everyone to keep voting to help Rob get to the end zone!"

About the Pepsi Refresh Project
In an effort to support those who generate innovative, optimistic ideas, the Pepsi Refresh Project (www.refresheverything.ca; www.icicestmieux.com) will award over $1 million in grants.  Every other month, individuals and organizations can apply for grants to benefit a variety of projects and site visitors can vote for the best ideas for funding.  The Pepsi Refresh Project is an evolution of the Joy It Forward initiative Pepsi launched in 2009, which showed the brand as an optimistic catalyst for idea creation.  Pepsi will fund projects that make a difference in six categories: Health, Arts & Culture, Food & Shelter, The Planet, Neighbourhoods and Education.  The Pepsi Refresh Project can be found at www.refresheverything.ca, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pepsicanada or on Twitter, @PepsiCanada

PepsiCo Canada and the Pepsi Brand
PepsiCo's businesses in Canada are organized into two business units. PepsiCo Foods Canada includes Frito Lay Canada and the Quaker Foods & Snacks business.  PepsiCo Beverages Canada includes the Pepsi, Gatorade and Tropicana businesses.  The Pepsi Brand has been bringing fun and refreshment to Canadian consumers for over 75 years. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.ca.

About PepsiCo, Inc.
PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that each generates more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses - Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade - also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in more than 200 countries. With annualized revenues of nearly $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

About the Canadian Football League:
The Canadian Football League is our league. It's built on a tradition as proud, staged on a field as broad, and played at a pace as exciting as the country we are proud to call home. Our championship game, the Grey Cup, is the biggest single annual sporting event in Canada. And the sold out 98th edition will be played on November 28, 2010 in Edmonton, Alberta. For additional information, visit CFL.ca.

For further information:

Kelly Mansell
PraxisPR
905-949-8255 Ext 221
416-580-6376
[email protected]