- Athletes for Good Fund awards more than $500,000 in grants to the charitable causes supported by Olympic and Paralympic athletes
- Consumers can join P&G Good Everyday to support high performance athletes across Canada
TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) today launched its Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 campaign inspired by the many Olympic and Paralympic athletes who are stepping up to take action for good, making a positive difference in their own communities and the world. These athletes are the focus in the latest chapter of the company’s worldwide “Lead with Love” consumer campaign, which unites P&G’s longstanding Citizenship efforts of Community Impact, Equality & Inclusion, and Environmental Sustainability. With the latest iteration of this campaign, P&G, in partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is using the Olympic and Paralympic Games platform to celebrate and inspire acts of good.
Supporting Athletes On and Off the Field Takes Centre Stage in P&G’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 Campaign (Photo: Business Wire)
Launched today, the short film “Your Goodness is Your Greatness” celebrates athletes who show their goodness on and off the field of play. Narrated from the perspective of proud parents, the film features Olympic and Paralympic athletes who are leading with love and showing the world that the true measure of greatness is goodness.
“Over the past decade, we have been honoured and humbled to tell the stories of amazing athletes and the families who’ve supported them on the journey to their Olympic and Paralympic dreams,” said Geraldine Huse, President, P&G Canada. “When those dreams were put on hold in 2020, we were inspired by the incredible athletes who put aside their own disappointment and instead stepped up to serve their communities. By putting others above themselves and lending their time, talent, and resources to help those in need – these accomplished athletes show that their goodness is their greatness.”
“Your Goodness is Your Greatness” builds upon the iconic “Thank You, Mom” campaign and includes a call to action to “lead with love” through acts of good. The film will appear in full form digitally or in short form on television in Canada and more than 15 countries. It can be viewed by visiting www.pggoodeveryday.com/Olympics.
Athletes for Good Fund Recipients Announced
P&G, the IOC, and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) are proud to announce the 52 recipients of the Athletes for Good Fund. After seeing the amazing stories of athletes doing good in the world, P&G was inspired to take action to encourage even more positive change. Totaling more than USD $500,000, the Athletes for Good Fundcelebrates and fuels the work of Olympic and Paralympic athletes and hopefuls who are partnering with charitable causes around the world and serving their communities in the areas of Community Impact, Equality & Inclusion, and Environmental Sustainability.
Each USD $10,000 grant goes to the charitable organization the athletes support, contributing to P&G’s Lead with Love consumer campaign commitment of 2,021 Acts of Good in 2021.
The Athletes for Good recipient group includes 28 Olympic athletes and hopefuls, 24 Paralympic athletes and hopefuls, representing 20 countries, and 26 sports. In all, four of the recipients hail from Canada:
- Pamphinette Buisa, Rugby: Teams up with SOLID Outreach to provide peer-based health education and support services to reduce the harms associated with drug use. As someone deeply passionate about empowering others, amplifying others’ voices, and fighting for social justice, Pamphinette is proud to support an organization that pushes for equality and builds a culture of care and consent.
- Tammy Cunnington, Para Swimming: Serves as a REAL (Relatable, Empowered, Active Leaders) Role Model for Fast and Female supporting the organization’s work to keep girls healthy and active in sports and physical activities; and encourages it especially among girls with physical disabilities.
- Tara Llanes, Wheelchair Basketball: Instrumental in getting adaptive mountain biking added to Whistler Adaptive’s sports programming and equipment rentals for the enjoyment of people with cognitive, sensory and physical disabilities and continues to help expand these programs and advocate for the community.
- Marissa Papaconstantinou, Para Athletics: As a long-time ambassador of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, she not only helps to raise awareness of the organization’s client care services and impact in the community, but as a role model and mentor she helps to raise the spirits, hopes and abilities of the children and youth to dream big and embrace their differences.
“I am incredibly honoured to be selected as an Athletes for Good Fund recipient and to have Whistler Adaptive receive a USD$10,000 grant,” said Tara Llanes, Tokyo 2020 hopeful and member of Canada’s Women’s National Wheelchair Basketball Team. “Having worked with them to add three wheeled adaptive mountain biking to their sports program in 2015 – resulting in adding three adaptive mountain bikes which are now insufficient to meet the overwhelming demand – this grant comes at a perfect time, adding another bike and with it the opportunity for many more people with disabilities to enjoy nature and spend time with their friends and families on the trails.”
To learn more about the athletes and organizations making a difference in their communities, please visit www.olympics.com/pg.
P&G and its brands are also committed to using the power of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements to spark conversations about important issues like equality and inclusion and environmental sustainability. Several P&G brands are running Olympic Games programs that address these topics:
- Tide, Canada’s #1 trusted laundry detergent brand, is proud to partner with Canadian Olympic Gold Medalist Penny Oleksiak, as part of its #TurnToCold campaign. This spring, Tide is encouraging all Canadians to wash their laundry with Tide Coldwater. With Tide, they can get a better clean in cold1, save the environment by saving up to 90% energy2 and save up to $130 per year3 on their hydro bill.
- Always is rallying society to help girls stay in sports. They’re teaming up with inspirational women from around the world, and girls’ education advocate Malala Yousafzai, to showcase the many ways sports can help girls build confidence, shape skills and fuel their future. In a report entitled “Let’s Talk Periods!” set to be released the week leading up to Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28, Always and Plan International Canada highlight how period-related challenges continue to affect young people’s self-esteem, and what we can all do to help address them. Learn more at always.com.
Across the country, P&G and retailers will be partnering to support Team Canada through in-store and digital campaigns featuring a wide portfolio of P&G’s trusted brands.
In addition, Canadians can join P&G in its greater support of high-performance athletes by visiting P&G Good Everyday, a recently-launched consumer rewards program powered by P&G’s trusted brands that helps turn everyday actions into acts of good. When engaging with the program, people earn points that can be redeemed for rewards – and as they earn, P&G makes donations to causes that Canadians care about. With simple everyday actions, the community can help support athletes through the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sports Institute Network (COPSIN), which provides access to training facilities, nutritionists, physical and mental health therapists, as well as sports scientists.
Using the World’s Biggest Stage to Advance Environmental Sustainability
P&G, a Worldwide Olympic Partner, is partnering with the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee and the IOC on The Podium Project. Through this effort, for the first time ever, the Olympic and Paralympic medal podiums are created from recycled plastic sourced from public collection and recovered from the oceans. The design will be unveiled in June in the lead up to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. This project – representing meaningful innovation in sustainable design – incited terrific excitement from Japanese consumers with collection extending to schools, offices and beyond.
