Teens in Public Service-Pepsi Refresh Challenge

– Teens in Public Service (TIPS) is vying for $50,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Challenge, an on-line voting contest which is to generate innovative, optimistic ideas in the community.   The Pepsi Refresh Project will award more than $20 million in 2010 to foster innovation in social good will and to fund great ideas that refresh the world. The program launched on January 13th. 

Supporters of the TIPS project-“Community Service Begins as a Summer Job-Invest” can vote every day in the month of May at http://www.refresheverything.com/teensinpublicservice.

TIPS is the only Puget Sound area nonprofit in this Pepsi Refresh Challenge that is vying for the $50,000 grant in the neighborhood category. 

550 high school students have applied for the 2010 summer internship program and TIPS has current funding for 50 interns. This grant would enable TIPS to place an additional 20 teenagers at non-profits in the Greater Puget Sound area and support a summer video project. This will be TIPS’ 14^th summer of placing teen leaders at non-profit organizations in the Puget Sound area.  

TIPS’ goal is to reach the top 10 in the $50,000 neighborhood category by May 31st to receive the $50,000 grant.

Here are 4 quick tips to vote for TIPS.

1)     Follow the link, http://www.refresheverything.com/teensinpublicservice

2)     Click on the “Vote for this idea” box on the right hand side of the page. 

3)     Follow the steps to sign in

4)     Once signed in click on the “Vote for this idea” button again and you are all done!

Cathy Michalec, Executive Director explains, “We are reaching out to all of our non-profit partners, past TIPS alumni and teens who have applied to the 2010 summer program. They know best how to use Facebook and Twitter to call people to action!  I feel very confident we will be in the top ten by May 31^st.  Winning this grant means a lot to this summer program and we will be able to turn around and invest in our teens this summer’.