Students Get A Chance To Win Their Tuition While Doing Some Good

Canada's Post-Secondary Students Challenged To Be Catalysts for Positive Social Change

TORONTO, Nov. 8 /CNW/ - The Pepsi Refresh Project is empowering Canadian university and college students to make a difference in their communities and is giving them the tools to do it. Beginning Thursday, November 11 students are encouraged to visit the Pepsi Refresh Facebook page to upload photos about what they care about and to try to garner as many votes ("Likes") as possible. Simply by entering, each participant has a chance to win $5,000 towards their tuition and the submission with the most votes will receive a $5,000 grant towards the charity of their choice. In addition, every participant has the chance to win 1 of 10, $500 textbook grants.

"Students are passionate about making a difference in the world and touching the lives of others, and Pepsi wants to support their efforts," says, Dev Aujla, Ambassador for the Pepsi Refresh Project and Founder and Executive Director of DreamNow. "This program is really about making a difference and we are excited to see what issues matter most to Canadian students."

Students across Canada (see rules and regulations for complete details) will be able to choose a social cause of their choice from any registered Canadian charity and then upload a creative photo to the Pepsi Refresh Facebook fan page stating what they care about. Students can campaign for votes for their photo through the Facebook fan page, similar to the national Pepsi Refresh Project grant program.

The charity chosen by the student whose photo secures the most votes ('Likes") will receive a grant of $5,000. Additionally, everyone who submits a photo will be entered into THE DO GOOD SCHOLARSHIP DRAW and will have a chance to win $5,000 towards tuition or 1 of 10 $500 textbook grants. The more votes that photo garners, the more contest entries the submitter receives to win.

The Pepsi Refresh Project will also be visiting 28 Canadian university and college campuses to engage students in an interactive photo shoot, where they can have a photo taken of themselves showcasing what they care about. Some of the photos will even be selected for a special on campus Pepsi ad campaign and will be showcased on the Pepsi Canada Facebook fan page.

"As a student who is passionate about music and education, I know first hand what funding can do to support a cause that is close to your heart," says Raymond Ko, Pepsi Refresh Project Advisory Board Member, Top 20 Under 20 Recipient, and Founder, Music Sensory Awakening Program. "The Pepsi Refresh Project is a great way for students to make a difference for something they care about. Check it out when they visit your campus, or join their special student RefreshU tab on the Pepsi Canada Facebook fan page to get involved."

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.

    
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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.

For further information: Rebecca Fair, PraxisPR, 905-949-8255 Ext. 224, [email protected]