Molly’s Adopt a Sailor Awarded Pepsi Refresh Project Grant
Sep 28, 2010 – Phelps Dunbar LLP is pleased to congratulate Molly's Adopt a Sailor (MAS) on its recent grant of $50,000 from the Pepsi Refresh Project. MAS was one of 10 finalist during the month of August that was awarded the grant from Pepsi. As a finalist, MAS will use the funding over the next year to send support letters and care packages to United States military personnel overseas.As part of the Pepsi Refresh Project, Pepsi is giving away over a million dollars each month to 32 worthy causes. Any individual or organization is eligible to submit their project to receive funding, and people across the country are able to vote for the top refreshing ideas that are enhancing America (only 1000/month are accepted for voting). After being accepted for voting as an August 2010 entry, MAS used their nationwide and worldwide team of volunteers to obtain enough votes to become a monthly finalist. MAS was able to "get the vote out" by posting messages about the project on its Web site and on its Facebook page, as well as sending out e-mails and spreading the message by word of mouth to friends of the organization.
With the overwhelming support of many individuals and organizations, MAS finished as a top 10 finalist at the $50,000 level. As a finalist, MAS was required to submit a formal budget, project plan, financial information and organizational information for Pepsi's review and approval. Phelps Dunbar attorneys Abby Bourgeois Baya and Bret Permesly helped MAS review the grant agreement and prepare the required documentation. After reviewing all of the documents, Pepsi informed MAS that it was a Pepsi Refresh Project Grant Recipient. In the project plan to Pepsi, MAS agreed that 50 percent of the funding would go toward purchasing a variety of supplies for the troops, and the other 50 percent would go toward shipping the supplies overseas.
MAS is a non-profit (501c3) organization, which for the past two years has been solely supported by volunteers, mostly made up of military families. The grant from Pepsi is the first substantial financial support that the organization has received. MAS is a broad-based, collaborative and community initiative that supports deployed United States military personnel by way of cards, letters and care packages filled with love, support and necessities from home. The organization also "adopts" military men and women who do not have support from their family and friends, and volunteers of MAS also travel around the country to welcome troops arriving back to the United States. Although it's named "Molly's Adopt a Sailor," MAS supports all branches of the military. For more information on MAS, visit www.MollysAdoptASailor.com.
For more information on the Pepsi Refresh Project, visit www.refresheverything.com. Each month, up to $1.3 million will be awarded as follows: two grants at the $250,000 level, 10 grants at the $50,000 level, 10 grants at the $25,000 level and 10 grants at the $5,000 level.
Phelps Dunbar is a regional law firm of more than 280 attorneys, with offices in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Jackson, Tupelo, and Gulfport, Mississippi; Houston, Texas; Tampa, Florida; Mobile, Alabama and London, England.
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