Pepsi Stronger Together Teams Up with Nneka Ogwumike & WNBPA

We’re proud to announce a multi-year partnership with the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) to create curated giveback initiatives supporting causes important to the players in each of the 12 team markets. Our partnership kicks off in Los Angeles with Girls on the Run LA and LA Sparks six-time All Star and union president Nneka Ogwumike.

Serving Girls on the Run

To tip off this partnership, we’re pledging $50,000 to Girls on the Run LA. This will amplify local community impact programming. Girls on the Run is dedicated to helping girls build self-confidence and boldly pursue their dreams to become community leaders – like Ogwumike. From physical activity and character development to brainstorming programs that impact the community, the organization’s range of programming results in life-changing positive effects for its participants.

As part of the donation, we’re excited to fund multiple participant-led community impact programs designed to make a difference for a locally relevant cause. The programs will be chosen by an advisory panel that includes Ogwumike, WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson and Derek Lewis, president of the South Division of PepsiCo Beverages North America. In addition, you’ll spot us at some upcoming Girls on the Run LA 5K races, providing hydration and equipment packs.

“As a child, role models I could identify with and relate to inspired me to believe in my potential for success in whatever I set my sights on,” Ogwumike said. “That’s why organizations like Girls on the Run are so valuable to communities and why I’m delighted to be launching the WNBPA’s partnership with Pepsi Stronger Together. Our work together is driven by our shared mission to profoundly impact public health and wellness and inspire greatness as trailblazers for the next generation of strong, confident and phenomenal women across the program.”

More opportunities to give back

Following the kickoff in Los Angeles with Girls on the Run LA, we’ll work with the WNBPA to identify needs in the other 11 WNBPA cities across the country to continue to give back and invest in these communities where it counts.

“We are honored to partner with the WNBPA and expand upon our commitment to uplift communities across the country,” Lewis said. “This investment starts with empowering and creating opportunities for young women in the Los Angeles area, and we look forward to partnering with even more of the WNBPA’s exceptional and inspiring league of athletes on future tailored local initiatives throughout the 2022 season.”

The WNBPA, founded in 1998 as the first union for professional women athletes, has historically fostered opportunities to amplify the voices and leadership of its members, who have led the way in professional sport in the constant fight for equality and justice. This partnership represents a powerful extension of the WNBPA’s work around public health, specifically women’s health and wellness.

“We are very proud to mark the union’s 23rd anniversary with Pepsi Stronger Together,” Jackson said. “When you bet on women, you are supporting, investing and empowering girls and women, which means families and communities are that much stronger – together.”