Shamrock Farms and Luis Gonzalez team up to hit a "Home Run for Strong Kids"
Campaign involves donation to Going Gonzo For Kids, education on critical need for calcium
PHOENIX (March 21, 2011)—Shamrock Farms has teamed up with one of Arizona’s most respected athletes, community ambassadors and fathers – Luis Gonzalez – to teach families about the importance of calcium with an educational campaign called “Calcium Plus: A Home Run for Strong Kids.” As part of the campaign, Shamrock Farms is donating $10,000 to Gonzalez’s charity, Going Gonzo For Kids, to support healthy initiatives for children in Arizona.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Luis to educate families about the need for calcium,” said Sandy Kelly, director of marketing for Shamrock Farms. “With our community outreach, donation to Going Gonzo For Kids and new Calcium Plus milk, we can help beat the calcium crisis we’re facing today.”
With calcium consumption at a critical low in America, Shamrock Farms developed Calcium Plus milk with 100% more calcium in every glass, to make it easier for families to get the calcium they need and kids to grow strong. What’s more, Calcium Plus milk also naturally delivers nine essential nutrients including two other nutrients of critical concern – vitamin D and potassium.
“Calcium is an essential nutrient for staying healthy, but a majority of kids are not getting enough calcium,” said Gonzalez. “With Shamrock Farms support of Going Gonzo For Kids, we can build strong kids together and spread the word about the importance of calcium."
Calcium is so critically under-consumed by the general public in both children and adults, that the USDA has listed it as a nutrient of critical concern in its 2010 Dietary Guidelines:
- More than 90 percent of (or nine out of 10) preteen girls (ages 9-13) and 70 percent of (or seven out of 10) preteen boys do not meet current calcium recommendation
- Nearly nine out of 10 teenage girls (91%) and almost seven out of 10 teenage boys (69%) (ages 14-18) don't meet daily calcium recommendations.
- Close to nine out of 10 women (88%) and six out of 10 men (63%), ages 19 and up, fail to meet their daily calcium recommendations.
Shamrock Farms is taking the “Calcium Plus: A Home Run for Strong Kids” campaign on the road at select Spring Training games with coupons, samples and educational materials. Families are also invited to test their knowledge about strong bones and calcium online, and enter to win three top prizes, including the grand prize featuring exclusive Gonzalez-signed memorabilia and a year-supply of Shamrock Farms Calcium Plus milk. (Arizona residents only. Visit shamrockfarms.net for full details.)
Shamrock Farms Calcium Plus milk line comes in many varieties including whole, 2% reduced fat, and fat free white milk, 1% lowfat chocolate milk, and 2% reduced fat and fat free Lactose Free milk – all in the 96-oz. Smart Fit Bottle, designed by ergonomic experts to be easy to carry, pour and store. Shamrock Farms Calcium Plus milk is available at all major retailers.
About Shamrock Farms
Shamrock Farms, one of the largest family-owned and -operated dairies in the U.S., produces and distributes traditional and organic farm-fresh milk, as well as whipping cream, sour cream, cottage cheese, ice cream and frozen novelties. Shamrock Farms, which has its own farm hosting both a traditional and organic herd totaling more than 10,000 cows, is a division of Shamrock Foods Company, a family-owned and -operated business founded in 1922 in Tucson, Ariz. For more information, visit www.shamrockfarms.net.
About Going Gonzo For Kids
A program of the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation, Going Gonzo For Kids was created after Luis Gonzalez returned to the D-backs organization in a front-office capacity near the end of the 2009 season. A staple in the community during his eight-year career with the D-backs, Gonzalez wanted to continue to give back to youth-based charities with a multi-faceted fundraising initiative to capture the D-backs and his shared passion for positively impacting the lives of children. Going Gonzo For Kids raised $100,000 during the 2010 season and immediately gave the money back to children’s charities such as Boys & Girls Club of Metropolitan Phoenix, St. Peter’s Mission School, 100 Club of Arizona, Home Base Youth Services, Southwest Human Development, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Maggie’s Place, Special Olympics of Arizona and SARRC. For more information, visit www.dbacks.com/gonzo.
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