Drink Milk for a Change Program Fact Sheet

A new “Dream Team” of milk-drinking celebrity athletes are sporting the famous Milk Mustache to inspire teens to “Drink Milk for a Change’ in their bodies, their fitness and in the world around them. Utah Jazz point guard Deron Williams, gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson and three-time MVP baseball slugger Albert Pujols may represent completely different sports, but when it comes to the health and fitness of America’s youth, they’re all on the same team. They’ve joined forces to show teens that staying active and drinking milk for a change is a powerful game plan.

Don a Milk Mustache to Change the World
The new “dream team” of Milk Mustache athletes are calling on teens to get active and drink lowfat milk for a positive change in themselves, and also help local communities around the country. They have teamed up with the “got milk?” Campaign and NBA Cares to each champion a worthy project that’s close to their hearts that will help make a positive change in local communities:

  • “Project REPLENISH” – Millions of kids nationwide aren’t fortunate enough to have safe places to play and exercise. Deron Williams wants to change that one community at a time. That’s why he’s urging teens to get behind his project to help build an amazing new playground in San Antonio, Texas, that will help kids develop healthy exercise habits. San Antonio has one of the highest rates of obesity in the Unites States.
  • “Project BUILD” – In northwest and south central Georgia, flooding devastations have forced many families out of their homes. Just like Hurricane Katrina, it’s a disaster that shocked and saddened millions of Americans – especially Albert Pujols, who is calling on teens to help him lift one family of flood victims from this region out of homelessness and into a new home built by hand from the ground up.
  • “Project SHINE” – Shawn Johnson understands the importance of a good education but she knows that many kids aren’t as fortunate as she is in having the support or resources to provide them with a bright future. That’s why she wants teens to back her in helping kids in Detroit, Michigan, shine from the inside out by renovating a school or learning center to give them a brighter future. High unemployment in Detroit has prioritized the need for stronger education.

Which project is completed is in the hands of America’s teens. To view videos of each celebrity Milk Mustache athlete making a case for their respective projects and to back their favorite Dream Team member by voting for the project they most want to see completed, teens can log on to www.BodyByMilk.com. One lucky teen and three friends will even win the chance to get their hands dirty with professional athletes and celebrities at the winning project. Now that’s what you call community service!

Sporting Their Milk Mustaches
Check out the celebrity Milk Mustache ads when they launch at www.bodybymilk.com on Feb. 11. While there, check out exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and photos from their ad shoot:

  • Deron Williams’ ad debuts in the March 1 issue of Sports Illustrated. His ad reads: “Non-stop game. How do I stay hot? I down the milk cold. It’s got the right mix of nutrients to help me refuel after exercise. And the protein helps build muscle. So grab a glass and keep having a ball.”
  • Shawn Johnson’s ad debuts February 15 in Twist and J-14: “Flip over it. Milk. It helps keep me fit, inside and out, upside down and right side up. Talk about the perfect balance.”
  • Albert Pujols’ ad will launch in March, 2010.

Change Your Beverage, Change Your Body and Performance
Drinking lowfat or fat free milk for a change can help teens make a difference in their fitness and their bodies. It’s a natural source of high-quality protein, which, when combined with exercise, can help BUILD lean muscle; it also has the right mix of carbohydrates and proteins to refuel and fluids and electrolytes to help REPLENISH after exercise; and drinking milk can help teens SHINE thanks to essential nutrients like vitamin A for healthy skin. What’s more, drinking milk gives teens the calcium, vitamin D and other nutrients they need during the critical bone-building years.

For more information on the ‘Drink Milk for a Change’ program and the performance benefits of milk, visit www.BodyByMilk.com.

Getting Schools in the Game
The program also will encourage secondary school coaches and physical education teachers across the country to encourage their teen athletes to Drink Milk for a Change to help them be at their best. Nearly 40,000 schools nationwide will receive the following tools to keep their athletes motivated to drink milk for a change:

  • NBA Cares banners and posters featuring Deron, Shawn and Albert for cafeterias, gyms and common areas
  • Locker room recovery poster written by Portland Trailblazers sports dietitian Ruth Carey featuring the basics of post-exercise nutrition
  • Recovery handout for coaches to send home to parents to let them know what their teen athlete needs, nutritionally, to help them rebound for the next big game or workout

Sports educators also can check out www.MilkDelivers.org for additional free and easy-to-use resources including NBA player videos and other recovery handouts.

###