ST GEORGE – Southern Utah has the opportunity to benefit from a total of $75,000 in Pepsi Refresh grants with your support.

Pepsi has up to $1.3 million in Refresh Grants to give out every month to fund good ideas, big and small, that make the world a better place. Approximately $20 million in grants will be distributed directly to communities throughout 2010. This is the amount of money Pepsi would normally spend advertising during the Superbowl.

Southern Utah has the opportunity to benefit and SUHBA is asking for your help. Pepsi accepts 1,000 applications each month, and then it’s up to the public to vote each day to determine who will be the recipient of the grants. Only the top 10 grants with the most votes in the category which SUHBA has applied for will receive funding. 

Southern Utah Home Builders Association has submitted a $50,000 grant proposal to directly benefit local community businesses. “Provide Scholarships to Struggling Businesses” will provide training to improve life-sustaining skills, business and financial management skills, and improve the business practices for local companies to help them survive now during tough times and thrive in the future. Education influences the economic development of a community.

Last month, the Southern Utah Green Build Council submitted a grant idea for $25,000 to “Paint Our Red Rocks Green – Promote Sustainable Living in the Desert.”  This received enough votes to be in the top 100, and was rolled into the voting process again this month. It has moved up significantly since last month but we still need the community support by voting daily to achieve top ten ranking before the end of November.

This grant will help to preserve our precious resources including energy, water and our clean air. It will provide educational opportunities for the community on green practices, training on retrofitting existing homes with energy efficient products, and cost-effective green building science principles.

Both of these programs will help us give our community the tools and knowledge to build a better today, while preparing for tomorrow.

The community can help us by voting daily for both grants. Visit www.refresheverything.com and register to vote. Search for SUHBA Scholarships and then Red Rocks to cast your votes. You may also vote simply by texting a vote to 73774 with 102870 in the message, and then another text to 73774 with 103951 in the message. Visit www.suhba.com to get additional information on a quick and easy way to place your votes.

Please support these grants. Our position is increasing daily but we need your help. Invite all your friends to vote daily and help improve our Southern Utah community. Call the Southern Utah Home Builders Association at 435-674-1400 for any questions.