Lamar and I recently spent the day at the headquarters of the Dr Pepper Snapple Group. We were invited to visit as a part of the Blogger Summit where we learned all about the Dr Pepper Snapple Group as a brand. And we learned about all of their great philanthropic efforts….which totally impressed us by the way.
Who Likes Dr Pepper?
First things first, everyone in our family loves Dr Pepper (except me.) And they love that there is one product, that mommy does not like, that they get to keep all to themselves without mommy taking a sip. They delight in ordering it and taunting me with it. However, we all love Snapple. So going to the Blogger Summit, Lamar and I thought we were already familiar with the Dr Pepper Snapple brand. We soon found out that there was a lot we didn’t know.
While there, we learned that Dr Pepper Snapple is a leading producer of flavored beverages in North America and the Caribbean. They have over 50 brands (many of them we love) such as 7UP, A&W, Canada Dry, Clamato, Crush, Hawaiian Punch, Mott’s, Mr & Mrs T mixers, Penafiel, Rose’s, Schweppes, Squirt and Sunkist soda.
Why Does Dr Pepper Snapple Want Your Kids to Play
We were totally impressed by the DPS portfolio of products and their commitment to meeting the consumer’s needs. But, we were the most blown away by their commitment to our children and making sure that they are getting enough physical activity.
Research shows that the benefits of play are:
- Improved physical health
- Better social skills
- Improved academic achievement
- Battling childhood obesity which has tripled since the 1970’s
Three in five parents (59%) think children today are spending less time in active play compared to children when they were growing up; 32% say children are spending significantly less. – 2015 Let’s Play State of Play Survey
Did you know that 66% of parents say that their kids get less than one hour of physical activity during the day? I am not surprised because, quite honestly, most of my kids fall within this statistic.
Let’s Play….more!
In 2011, Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) launched the Let’s Play initiative to provide the tools, places, and inspiration to make play a daily priority. Partnering with the non-profit organizations KaBOOM! and Good Sports, they are working to eliminate the ‘play deficit’ by building and improving play spaces and providing grants for athletic equipment and gear. DPS will provide 10 Million children across North America with new opportunities to play and be active. DPS has committed $26 million since 2011 to support programs that encourage fit and active lifestyles. And so far they have built well over 2000 playgrounds!
It was hot, and was hard and it was oh so fulfilling to see the playground constructed in a place that was once an empty field.
It’s one thing to hear about such a great philanthropic effort, but it’s another thing to experience it first hand. And that’s exactly what we did while we were in Plano, TX visiting DPS Headquarters. While there, we actually participate in a playground build. That’s right, we were able to roll up our sleeves and get dirty building a playground for a local Dallas charter school, La Academia de Estrellas.
Click here to learn more about Let’s Play.
Thank you to DPS for providing us with our favorite beverages and more importantly for your commitment to our community and our children!
BMWK – do your kids get more than 1 hour of physical activity each day? If no, why not? And, what do you plan to do to increase? Do you know of any schools that could benefit from the Let’s Play program?
Disclosure: DPS paid for all of my travel and meals when I attended the Dr Pepper Snapple Group Blogger Summit. But as always, all opinions are my own.