Feb. 14, 2024

Connect, Learn, Explore will receive $50,000 grant made possible by U.S. Conference of Mayors, American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America

BOSTON – The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and the American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America (ABFHA) today announced Boston has been selected to receive a $50,000 grant as a part of the 2024 Childhood Obesity Prevention & Environmental Health and Sustainability Awards. 

The grant funding will support Boston’s Connect, Learn, Explore program. Connect, Learn, Explore is an interdepartmental initiative to make the city's policy and infrastructure investments tangible and measurable for children and their families by dedicating resources to ensure every child learns to swim, bike, play a sport, participate in the arts, and grow a green generation.  

“America's leading beverage companies are continuing to support healthy, sustainable communities across the nation alongside the mayors who know them best,” said Kevin Keane, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of American Beverage and chair of the ABFHA board of directors. “We congratulate the people and the many initiatives working to drive positive change. We are proud to celebrate more than a decade of this partnership with The U.S. Conference of Mayors, and we look forward to a bright future as we strengthen communities together.”

“Massachusetts’s Beverage Association is pleased to congratulate Mayor Michelle Wu and Connect, Learn, Explore as a recipient of this year's Childhood Obesity Prevention & Environmental Health and Sustainability Awards,” said Steve Boksanski, executive director of the Massachusetts Beverage Association. "We’re excited to support the great work being done in Boston, furthering the mission of Connect, Learn, Explore to improve the quality of life for Boston’s residents." 

“The scope and ambition of the projects we’ve been able to award not only this year, but for the past twelve years, is a testament to the role of cities as incubators of innovation,” said Tom Cochran, CEO and executive director of The United States Conference of Mayors. “We’re so proud of the level of investment we’ve made in such bold and enterprising community-focused environmental and public health initiatives across the country, with the longstanding and critical support of American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America. We look forward to continued innovation, and investment, in our cities.”

“This program will set up our youngest children for a lifetime of success by learning crucial life skills that will keep them active and healthy as we all work together to make Boston the place in the country to raise a family,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.

The 2024 Childhood Obesity Prevention & Environmental Health and Sustainability Awards were presented at the 92nd Annual USCM Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C. Established in 2012, the awards aim to support community-based programs that promote positive changes in the categories of childhood obesity prevention, environmental health and sustainability, or both. 

To date, USCM and the American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America have jointly awarded $6.5 million to 73 cities across the country to support programs to enhance health, wellness and environmental quality of life for children and families.

For more information about the Childhood Obesity Prevention and Environmental Health and Sustainability Awards, please click here.

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About the American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America

The American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America seeks to make a significant contribution to the health of local communities by providing grants to support community organizations that work to advance both the physical health of their local citizens and the environmental health of their communities. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) created and funded by America’s non-alcoholic beverage industry and is a reflection of the industry’s long-standing tradition of giving back to communities. Learn more at www.beveragefoundation.org.

About the U.S. Conference of Mayors

The United States Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Learn more at www.usmayors.org. 

About the Massachusetts Beverage Beverage Association

The Massachusetts Beverage Association represents the Commonwealth’s manufacturers and distributors of nonalcoholic beverages, from national brands to regional, family-owned labels.  Our industry employs over 6,100 residents in the Commonwealth and more than 21,000 workers in restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, movie theaters and more depend, in part, on beverage sales for their livelihoods. We are grateful for these partnerships that are found in virtually every community from the Berkshires to Provincetown.