This post is sponsored by Let’s Play, an initiative by Dr Pepper Snapple Group that provides kids and families with the tools, places and inspiration to make active play a daily priority by building and improving playgrounds and donating sports equipment to groups in need. Although I received compensation for this post, all opinions are my own.
As a mom of an active middle-school daughter who participates in many of the school sports on her school campus, I know the importance of supporting her active lifestyle. 
Nowadays, students have such rigorous curriculum and the educational expectations are immense but necessary for this generation of 21st Century learners. Kids need an outlet for their energy and built up stress. They also need a place to play and interact with their peers. Having proper equipment and facilities on a school campus is crucial for this.
I am also a first-grade teacher in an extremely impoverished area and am all-too-familiar with the site of a playground that is lacking in every way. A couple of years ago, the playground at my school site had minimal “toys” (a.k.a. a tiny and very old play structure) for the students to play on and the free space to run around and play organized sports games was sad. Fortunately for the students at my school, we received a playground makeover and it was a true gift for them.
Sadly, there are still so many school campuses throughout Southern California, actually nationwide, that lack necessities. I’m here today to talk to you about Dr Pepper Snapple Group’s Let’s Play initiative because it’s something I feel is so meaningful and important.
Let’s Play
Let’s Play is an initiative by Dr Pepper Snapple Group to provide kids and families with the tools, places and inspiration to make active play a daily priority. Through a partnership with Good Sports, Let’s Play has donated more than $4.5 million in brand-new sports equipment over the past three years as part of Dr Pepper Snapple’s $38.5 million commitment by 2020 to bring active play to kids in need. Just look at how much of a difference it made last year, in 2016:
This past summer, Dr Pepper Snapple Group kicked off the “Let’s Play High School Makeover Challenge”, a video contest benefiting student-athletes at underfunded high schools across the U.S. The winning school will receive $100,000 in brand-new athletic equipment. The Let’s Play High School Makeover Challenge is the largest one-time donation Dr Pepper Snapple will make as part of the company’s Let’s Play initiative. How exciting is that?
“Let’s Play High School Makeover Challenge” Submissions
Student-athletes, under the supervision of a parent, legal guardian, or authorized adult, submitted videos to for the High School Makeover Challenge by Dr Pepper Snapple Group’s Let’s Play initiative to be eligible to win the equipment makeover. The top 20 submissions were selected and now it’s time for public voting to help crown the finalists and the winner.
You can help by voting
The voting period for the “Let’s Play High School Makeover Challenge” is September 8-17, 2017 and you can help by submitting your vote! The top 10 finalists will be chosen by the public through online voting, and Dr Pepper Snapple Group and Good Sports will select the winning high school, which will receive $100,000 in new athletic equipment. This is so exciting and will really make a difference for hundreds of high school athletes! Although the finalists are schools across the U.S., I have to be honest here and tell you that I’m really pulling for John R. Wooden High School in Reseda, California, because it’s the school closest to where I live and teach.
Won’t you consider taking a moment to help out by voting? To view a complete list of finalists and to participate in the vote, please click here and follow along with the contest using the hashtag #LetsPlayHSMakeover.
Connect with Dr Pepper Snapple Group on Facebook and Twitter.
You can also get the latest news about this initiative on Let’s Play’s Facebook and Twitter.