CHICAGO, Ill.(June 26, 2013) – The Chicago Fire Soccer Club announced today that the club has partnered with PepsiCo, Inc., and Section 8 Chicago, the Independent Supporters’ Association, to participate in the 43th Annual Chicago Pride Parade on Sunday, June 30. Fire defender Gonzalo Segares and midfielder Brendan King are scheduled to attend the event and ride on the PepsiCo float. The float will feature the Chicago Fire Soccer Club badge logo, in addition to PepsiCo brands Pepsi, Quaker Oats, Tropicana, Gatorade and Frito-Lay.
Segares and King will be joined by Fire mascot Sparky on the float. A group of 20 Fire front office staff and representatives from Section 8 Chicago will accompany over 150 PepsiCo employees, including members of EQUAL, PepsiCo’s LGBT employee resource group, on the float and along the parade route handing out Frito-Lay products and Fire-branded premium items, including sunglasses and beads.
The Chicago Pride Parade is the culmination of the annual Pride Celebration, which took place June 22-24. Since its inception, Chicago Pride has grown into one of the largest and well-known Pride events in the world. Pride has come to symbolize the long history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer dignity, the freedom of all people to meaningfully and proudly express their sexual and gender identities, and the commitment of LGBT people to combating oppression.
The parade is scheduled to begin at noon on Montrose Avenue and Broadway, and ends near the intersection of Diversey Parkway and Sheridan Road in Lincoln Park. Additional information on the Chicago Pride Parade can be found here.
As part of the Pride Initiative, the Fire have a special ticket offer for the Chicago Fire vs. Montreal Impact match at Toyota Park on Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m. CT (My50/La Ley 107.9). A portion of all ticket sales purchased as part of this offer will go directly to Equality Illinois and the fight for marriage equality in Illinois. Information on this ticket offer can be found here.
ABOUT PEPSICO
PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net revenues of more than $65 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. Our main businesses – Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola – make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world. PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also means a more successful future for PepsiCo. We call this commitment Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo's promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment by conserving energy and water and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support and invest in the local communities where we operate. For more information, please visitwww.pepsico.com.
