Vote for your favorite park in Sprite Spark Parks Contest

Vote for your favorite park to win $15,000.00 to "get refreshed" sponsored by Coca Cola North America. The Contest ends on May 31, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. 

During the writing of this post Atlanta's Burdett Park and NY's Sorrentino Rec Center are hot swapping the first place position. All parks are set to get refreshed, Coca Cola is providing grants to help the public parks, so voter help decide the top 10 courts to receive $15K to assist in "getting refreshed".

10 First Place Grants - $15,000 that must be used to construct, refresh and/or refurbish basketball courts located in the Park.
10 Second Place Grants - $10,000 that must be used as specified above.
5 Third Place Grants - $5,000 that must be used as specified above.

25 Public Parks selected by the sponsor, Coca-Cola North America. 
Grayson Park Birmingham AL
Starlight Park Phoenix AZ
Hollywood Recreation Center Los Angeles CA
DeFremery Park Oakland CA
Emery Recreation Center Washington DC
Dorsey Park Miami FL
Burdett Park College Park GA
Evelyn Davis Park Des Moines IA
Washington Park Chicago IL
Indianaola Park Indianapolis IN
Portland Park Louisville KY
Gatto Playground New Orleans LA
Westown Commons Park Grand Rapids MI
Fox Park St. Louis MO
Elmira Park Durham NC
Frazier Park Charlotte NC
Sorrentino Recreation Center Far Rockaway NY
DeHart Park Cincinnati OH
Dermond Recreation Area Drexel Hill PA
Jesse Turner Park Memphis TN
Winzer Basketball Court Houston TX
Cotillion Park Dallas TX
Ethel Bailey Furman Memorial Park Richmond VA
Pratt Park Basketball Courts Seattle WA
Juneau Playground Milwaukee WI
Which park are you voting for?

My Coke Rewards for school and other things YOU can do to help education

One year ago I did a blog post on Coke Rewards for Schools where I listed the Richmond County Schools that were participating in the program and where anyone could donate points to a school whether the school was registered or not. I recently returned to the site to enter my codes and went to the donate to schools section and Butler High School was registered...finally. Hopefully all of my previous donations went to schools that were registered in our area, if not, I am sure some school was happy to receive the additional points.


The school system is still one part of your community, you still pay taxes (in one form or another) to support the system, so why not support it in additional ways that can help those in the system? Whether you donate your time, your points, your soup labels, or whatever your community is doing...invest in our replacements, as the students today will make the decisions about "who rocks your rocking chair"...it is the circle of life.
What if you don't drink participating Coke products (Water, Tea, Soda, Powerade)? Look around...is there a vending machine in your workplace? Set up a box for people to drop off the lids before they recycle the bottle. Does the team purchase the multipacks of Powerade or Dasani? 

There are 4 easy ways to enter codes:

MyCokeRewards.com
My Coke Rewards Mobile - Associate your mobile # with your account
Desktop Widget
Text codes to 2653


There are other ways to use your Coke Rewards from supporting a good cause (USO, Hispanic College Fund, American Cancer Fund, National Parks, Ocean Conservancy, River Network) to selections from the rewards, sweepstakes, instant wins.


What other ways are you helping your local learners and schools?
Encourage, inspire, assist, +1 someone, listen, care
DonorsChoose
DoSomething
BestBuy @15
Lowe's Toolbox for Education
Barnes and Noble at school
Boxtops for Education
Target Take Charge for Education
Office Depot Foundation - Education
Office Depot - Local support
Kroger Earning Plus Learning
Campbell's Labels for Education
America's Promise
UPromise
Google Scholarships


What other ways are you helping those who will eventually replace you in the circle of life?


Previous related posts 
10+ things anyone can do (2008)
$13.4 million shortfall what else can you do? (2008)
Schools worry donations will dwindle (2008)
Two schools will win $10K for their library via Coke Rewards (2011)

Two Schools will win $10K for their library

Two schools will win $10K for their school library. Donate 5 points and your school receives and entry between March 15, 2011 and April 30, 2011.  The regular Rewards for Schools program is available also, so you can find your school and view the wish list submitted by the school coordinator.

You can donate your Coke Reward points to a registered school to Refresh Your School's Library Sweepstakes between March 15, 2011 and April 30, 2011. I would donate to my daughter's alma mater...but after 5 years of email and F2F requests no one has registered Butler High School in Augusta, GA. 

I received and email stating that local schools in my area need support, so they will receive my donation. Check the site for more details but some of the basics (eligibility, prizes, contest timeline) are listed below.

Eligibility:  The My Coke Rewards for Schools Refresh Your School Library Sweepstakes (the "Sweepstakes") is open only to schools that are registered and in good standing in the My Coke Rewards for Schools program both at the time the Sweepstakes ends and when the drawing is conducted ("Schools"). The program is located at www.mycokerewards.com/schools (the "Website"). Schools that are not registered may visit www.mycokerewards.com/schools for registration directions; registering is free. For Schools to be eligible for the My Coke for Schools program, they must be academic institutions servicing kindergarten through 12th grade which are: (i) located within the 50 United States (or the District of Columbia), (ii) listed on the Market Data Research database ("MDR Database") at the time of enrollment, and (iii) also listed at www.mycokerewards.com/schools. The Sweepstakes is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited by law.

Sponsor: The Sweepstakes is sponsored by Coca-Cola North America, a division of The Coca-Cola Company, One Coca-Cola Plaza, Atlanta, GA 30313. Administrator: ePrize, LLC, One ePrize Drive, Pleasant Ridge, MI 48069. 

Prizes: 2 Grand Prizes: $10,000 to be used for the School's library collection, fulfilled as a gift card, terms and conditions apply. Approximate Retail Value ("ARV"): $10,000. 

Coke Reward for Schools post 8/10.2010

Coke Rewards for Schools

You can now donate to your school even if the school is not registered for Coke Rewards for Schools. If a school is not registered, they have until June 15, 2011 to redeem points. If the school does not register, accumulated points will be donated to a participating organization.


Like many other programs, Box Tops for Education, Campbell Soup Labels for Education, Target's Take Charge of Education donation program, Office Depot's Back to School Program, Donors Choose, Staples and Do Something Give Back Join a Pack program the participants are as diverse as your community. With the economy the way it is, cuts to many budgets, from local to federal, opportunities exist to encourage community support for our schools. 


My Coke Rewards now allows you to support schools that have not registered yet. 
What can schools select with Coke Rewards? Browse the catalog.

Refresh Your School Technology Sweeps - Donate points to help your school win $20,000 in computers, cameras, tvs and more from Best Buy®. Every 5 points donated earns a school 1 entry. School that register by 9/13/2010 are entered in this sweepstakes.

Q: How does my school earn entries for the Refresh Your School Technology Sweeps?


A: From July 29 – September 30, registered schools can get 1 entry for every 5 points donated by a My Coke Rewards member. During this same time, any school that registers for the program will earn 1 entry for registration and 1 entry for every 5 points donated by a My Coke Rewards member. See sweepstake rules for full details.

Q: What brands participate in the My Coke Rewards for Schools Program?


A: Any My Coke Rewards points earned from codes found on participating brand packages can be donated to a school. My Coke Rewards participating brands include Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite, Sprite Zero, DASANI, POWERADE ION, Minute Maid, VAULT, Pibb Extra, Fanta, Fresca, Barq’s, and Mello Yello. For a full list of participating brands and packages, check out the “Pick Up Points” section of My Coke Rewards. Any Bonus Points earned can also be donated to schools. Participating brands may change so check the site for a complete list of current participating brands and packages.

Q: How can I help my school get registered?

A: Help put your school in play and make great things happen. Talk to your school principal, parent teacher group leader or faculty member and ask them to appoint a School Coordinator for yourschool - or even volunteer to be one. The School Coordinator is responsible for managing the school's account, encouraging community point donations, and redeeming rewards for the school. Use our email tool below to forward a message to your school and encourage them to register. Or, if you are authorized to be a School Coordinator, get your school signed up today.

This is a great opportunity to encourage community support for your school. I have tried to get anyone at Butler High School to register the school since 2006. Today I searched for schools in our district by zip code then conducted another search by city and state. Here are the results:


A BRIAN MERRY ELEM SCHOOL - Not Registered
A R JOHNSON HEALTH SCI ENG HS (Magnet) - Not Registered
ACADEMY OF RICHMOND CO HS - Not Registered
AQUINAS HIGH SCHOOL - Not Registered
AUGUSTA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL - Not Registered
BARTON CHAPEL ELEM SCHOOL - Not Registered
BAYVALE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
BUNGALOW RD ALT CNTR - Not Registered
BUTLER COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCH - Not Registered
COLLINS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
COPELAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
CRAIG-HOUGHTON ELEM SCHOOL - Not Registered
CROSS CREEK HIGH SCHOOL - Registered
DAVIDSON FINE ARTS SCHOOL (Magnet) - Not Registered
EAST AUGUSTA MIDDLE SCHOOL - Not Registered
EVENING SCHOOL - Not Registered
GARRETT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
GLENN HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
GLENN HILLS HIGH SCHOOL - Not Registered
GLENN HILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL - Not Registered
GOSHEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
GRACEWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Registered
HAINS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Registered
HORNSBY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
JENKINS WHITE ELEM SCHOOL - Registered
JOHN M TUTT MIDDLE SCHOOL - Registered
JOSEPH LAMAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
JOSEY HIGH SCHOOL - Not Registered
LAKE FOREST HILLS ELEM SCHOOL - Not Registered
LAMAR-MILLEDGE ELEM SCHOOL - Registered
LANGFORD MIDDLE SCHOOL - Not Registered
LUCEY C LANEY HIGH SCHOOL - Not Registered
MEADOWBROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
MONTE SANO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
MURPHEY MIDDLE SCHOOL - Not Registered
NATIONAL HILLS ELEM SCHOOL - Registered
REYNOLDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Registered
ROY E ROLLINS ELEM SCHOOL - Not Registered
SEGO MIDDLE SCHOOL - Not Registered
SOUTHSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
TERRACE MANOR ELEM SCHOOL - Not Registered
TOBACCO ROAD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
TUBMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL - Not Registered
WALKER TRADITIONAL MAGNET SCH - Registered
WARREN ROAD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
WESTSIDE HIGH SCHOOL - Not Registered
WHEELESS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - Not Registered
WILKINSON GARDENS ELEM SCHOOL - Not Registered
WINDSOR SPRING ROAD ELEM SCH - Not Registered

Do you support schools by participating in any of these programs, Box Tops for Education, Campbell Soup Labels for Education, Target's Take Charge of Education donation program, Office Depot Back to School Program, Donors Choose, Staples and Do Something Give Back Join a Pack program, local businesses to major corporations?

Do you have a favorite? Which programs to you recommend when seeking community support? Do you support schools not in your district to support family and friends that do not live in your community? What ways do you encourage/participate in community opportunities to demonstrate your support for learning, education, and those who will eventually replace you?



Comments are welcome.