PURCHASE, N.Y., March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans will once again have the power to help make positive change in their communities now that the Pepsi Refresh Project (PRP) polls are open for a new round of voting at www.refresheverything.com. The Pepsi Refresh Project is built on the belief that great ideas can come from anyone. Competing for votes in March are ideas submitted by people of all ages, with a majority coming from Boomers and Gen-Xers, and submissions from 47 of the 50 states.

"Pepsi is redefining social engagement through its Pepsi Refresh Project.  This is a program that transcends corporate philanthropy or cause marketing, because it's focused on consumer engagement – and the power of individuals' ideas to make a positive difference with Pepsi's support," said Benjamin Goldhirsh, co-founder and CEO of GOOD, a pro-social community network partnering with Pepsi's Refresh project.

This is the second of 11 opportunities for the public to decide which ideas will win grants ranging from $5,000 to $250,000 throughout the year. Ideas were submitted by the public at www.refresheverything.com during February across six categories: Health, Arts & Culture, Food & Shelter, The Planet, Neighborhoods and Education. Education, Health and Neighborhoods led in popularity.

A Few Good Men Co-Stars Refresh the World with Their Winning Ideas

The Pepsi Refresh Project also announced that actress Demi Moore edged out Kevin Bacon to win the Pepsi Refresh Celebrity Challenge on Pepsi's Facebook page. Demi unleashed the power of her social media network to get out the vote in support of GEMS, Girls Educational & Mentoring Services. Pepsi will award the top prize of $250,000 to support GEMS, an organization that works to empower girls and young women who have experienced sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking to exit the commercial sex industry and develop to their full potential.

"I am thrilled that GEMS has gained powerful allies in Demi Moore and The DNA Foundation and honored to be the beneficiary of a Pepsi Refresh Grant.  The grant will support us in the important work of transforming survivors of domestic trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation to future leaders. This transformation is reflected most in GEMS Outreach workers; young women who advocate for legislation to protect other young victims, challenge misperceptions of survivors and educate and support peers and at-risk girls," says Rachel Lloyd, founder/Executive Director of GEMS.

Pepsi will also award $100,000 to support Kevin's cause, SixDegrees.org, which will distribute thousands of $20 SixDegree.org Good Cards, which recipients can use to support a charity of their choice.

Demi and Kevin's ideas are among hundreds that have been submitted from around the country for a chance to win some of the more than $20 million available from the Pepsi Refresh Project. Voting for the second round of ideas began on Monday, March 1. Winners from the last round of voting will be announced in mid-March, following an official verification process. The top 100 ideas from each of the four grant amount categories ($5,000; $25,000; $50,000; and $250,000) that did not qualify as finalists from the last round of voting will be rolled over for consideration in the next round.

The Pepsi Refresh Project can be found online at www.refresheverything.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/refresheverything or on Twitter, @Pepsi or #pepsirefresh.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please go to http://pepsico.presslift.com/pepsi-refresh-project.

Pepsi Refresh Project

In an effort to support those who generate innovative, optimistic ideas, the Pepsi Refresh Project (www.refresheverything.com), will award more than $20 million in 2010 to move communities forward.  Individuals 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 Refresh Everything initiative Pepsi launched in 2009, which showed the brand as an optimistic catalyst for idea creation, leading to an ever-refreshing world.   Pepsi will fund projects that make a difference in six categories: Health, Arts & Culture, Food & Shelter, The Planet, Neighborhoods and Education. 

Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages

The Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages (PCNAB) portfolio features market-leading liquid refreshment beverages, including the Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist and Mug trademarks in the carbonated soft drink category. PCNAB is a division of PepsiCo, which offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 18 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 over 200 countries.  With more than $43 billion in 2008 revenues, PepsiCo employs 198,000 people who 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.

SOURCE Pepsi