Announcement

Southern California State Park Beaches Vying for $50,000

Southern California residents are being asked to rank their favorite place to soak up the sun and surf, and, in return, can help contribute thousands of dollars to their favorite beach thanks to a program from California State Parks, Vons/Pavilions, and Coca-Cola. Announced today, the http://www.socalbestbeach.com campaign will raise much-needed funds for beach clean-up, lifeguard support and maintenance efforts, leading to safer and more beautiful beaches along the California coastline.

The campaign will benefit the state beaches of Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties and the millions of Southern California residents who vacation or visit these beaches each and every year. Southern California state beaches are some of the busiest beaches in the country and are always in need of maintenance and restoration efforts.

The campaign challenges consumers to support their local beaches while shopping at Vons and Pavilions. When consumers purchase five dollars worth of Coca-Cola products and use their Vons Club card, they will receive a code that, when entered at the http://www.socalbestbeach.com website, will allow them to vote for their favorite Southern California state beach. The first, second, and third place beaches will be awarded $25,000, $15,000, and $10,000 respectively.

The website will track the votes for the leading beaches, provide educational facts about the program, and offer an opportunity to make an online donation to the California State Parks Foundation in support of the Best State Beach campaign. The campaign will run through August 16th, and the three winning beaches will benefit from an International Coastal Clean-Up Volunteer Day on Saturday, September 17th. These events will be open to the public so that consumers can participate in the clean-up efforts at their favorite beaches, with the top beach hosting a picnic lunch for volunteers.

“Coca-Cola has supported environmental stewardship programs that benefit Southern California State Parks for the past three years,” explained Jay Toups, Vice President for Large Customer Team at Coca-Cola Refreshments. “We seek out programs that give back to our communities and since 2009 have helped raise almost two million dollars for state parks.”

Ruth Coleman, director of California State Parks, explains, “Our iconic California beaches – with their beauty and natural assets – are being threatened due to the current budget situation. That’s why help from the private sector and companies like Vons/Pavilions and Coca-Cola is so greatly appreciated. Monies raised from this campaign will help us to enhance visitor services and provide much-needed maintenance at state park beaches throughout Southern California.”

Eligible California State Beaches

1. Bolsa Chica State Beach

2. Cardiff State Beach

3. Carlsbad State Beach

4. Carpinteria State Beach

5. Crystal Cove State Park

6. Doheny State Beach

7. El Capitan State Beach

8. Emma Wood State Beach

9. Huntington State Beach

10. Leo Carrillo State Park

11. Malibu Lagoon State Beach