SEATTLE, July 20, 2021 — Talking Rain Beverage Company®, the maker of Sparkling Ice® beverages, is excited to announce its second annual Cheers to You Town Beautification program, where the brand is teaming up with three small towns across the country to give back in a big way.
The Sparkling Ice team has always been passionate about supporting local communities – from building accessible homes for veterans to providing clean drinking water for those in need, to recognizing and rewarding hometown heroes, and everything in between. For the 2021 Beautification program, the brand sought out three new unique towns across America, whose parks and recreational areas were in need of refurbishing, rebuilding or enhancements. After learning more about individual community needs, Sparkling Ice has selected Lumberton, North Carolina, Biloxi, Mississippi, and Port Arthur, Texas as this year’s town partners.
The 2021 Cheers to You Town Beautification projects include:
Lumberton, North Carolina – Building a brand new accessible, sensory playground
South Lumberton is a region of Lumberton, NC that has suffered mass destruction from hurricanes and flooding. The Sparkling Ice team will be installing a new type of playground that gives kids the opportunity to engage in a variety of sensory activities. This playground will be a positive step towards rebuilding a neighborhood who is recovering from natural disasters, creating an uplifting and engaging area for families of all ages to enjoy.
Biloxi, Mississippi – Building a new playground and two community gardens at St. Mary’s Park
It’s been over 15 years since Hurricane Katrina, and the town of Biloxi is still recovering. The Sparkling Ice team will create community gardens at St. Mary’s and Savarro Park, which has been a long-awaited project for the town over the last few years. The new community gardens will further beautify the parks and help to bring the town together to plant, seed, and tend to fresh flowers and herbs. In addition, the brand will be installing an all-new playground area, inclusive of new swing sets and equipment for both the community and local schools to utilize.
Port Arthur, Texas – Building a new basketball court and play area at Bryan Park
Located on one of Port Arthur’s major streets, Bryan Park is home to a community basketball court adjacent to a playground area for children of all ages. Due to hurricane damage over the years, the basketball court and surrounding area are in need of restoring. The Sparkling Ice team is building a new basketball court inclusive of a fresh overlay, surfacing, hoops and rims for kids and adults to enjoy for many years to come. Additionally, Sparkling Ice is upgrading the surrounding play area with a new set of swings, picnic tables and benches for the local community.
“When you think about the places where people congregate in small towns, it’s usually a park or recreational area. At Talking Rain, we aim to bring people together, and what better way is there to encourage togetherness after a year of hardship than elevating meaningful parts of the community,” said Chris Hall, CEO of Talking Rain. “Giving back is in our DNA and we are thrilled to bring our beautification program to these three new, deserving towns.”
The inaugural Sparkling Ice Cheers to You Town Beautification Program launched in 2020 to spread sparkle and cheer during difficult times. Now in its second year, the brand’s goal is to execute community-driven programs that engage consumers and create feel-good moments of positivity and celebration for unique towns. Construction plans for the 2021 projects will begin this summer and will be completed by the fall.
For more information on Sparkling Ice and the Cheers to You Beautification Program, please visit: https://www.sparklingice.com/cheerstoyou/