Surprise $1 Million Grant Awarded to the National Council of Negro Women
Surprise $1 Million Grant Awarded to the National Council of Negro Women
Grant Honors Ingrid Saunders Jones' 31 Years of Service to The Coca-Cola Company and the Community
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Coca-Cola Foundation announced a $1 million multi-year award to the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) to support its operating infrastructure and NCNW's Economic and Entrepreneurial Development Center, which provides technical assistance and business development assistance to more than 4,000 women annually.
Muhtar Kent, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Coca-Cola Company, made the surprise announcement at the retirement celebration of Ingrid Saunders Jones, Chair of The Coca-Cola Foundation and Senior Vice President, Global Community Connections for The Coca-Cola Company. Jones will retire May 31, 2013, after 31 years of dedicated service. Last year, Jones was elected Chair of the National Council of Negro Women.
"Ingrid has always had a passion for serving others, lifting them up, and making a positive difference," said Kent. "At the same time, Ingrid has a special affection and passion for helping women, economically disadvantaged individuals, and people from an African-American background.
"We could think of no better way to honor her Coca-Cola career and her legacy of service to others than by continuing our support of the National Council of Negro Women through a $1 million donation."
NCNW was founded by Mary McLeod Bethune in 1935 as an umbrella organization to lead, develop, and advocate for women of African descent through research, advocacy, and national and community-based services and programs dedicated to health, education, and economic empowerment. Under the leadership of Dorothy I. Height, who led NCNW for more than four decades, NCNW grew to reach nearly four million women annually.
Empowering women to thrive in business is a global commitment for The Coca-Cola Company, which in 2010 announced its 5by20 initiative to empower 5 million women entrepreneurs by the year 2020. The Company also developed the Global Women's Initiative, an internal/external program, led by Kent to advance women to leadership positions within the company and throughout its external value chain.
About The Coca-Cola Foundation
Since its inception, The Coca-Cola Foundation has awarded more than $500 million to support global sustainable community initiatives, including water stewardship, community recycling, active healthy living, and education. For more information about The Coca-Cola Foundation, please go to www.coca-colacompany.com/citizenship/foundation_coke.html.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYS: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world's most valuable brand, our Company's portfolio features 16 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of more than 1.8 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates. For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo or check out our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com.
The Coca-Cola Company
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