On Friday, July 30, 2010, the Tampa Bay Rays played host to the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field in front of a sold out crowd who helped kick-off ‘Dream Machine Day at Tropicana Field.’ Since the stadium is newly equipped with five PepsiCo Dream Machine kiosks, I was on hand to represent PepsiCo and I even got the chance to sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the 7th inning stretch. 
J.R. Martinez, star of ABC-TV soap opera “All My Children” and a graduate of the Florida State University EBV program, was on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. J.R., who suffered severe burns to more than 40 percent of his body while serving with the Army in Iraq, went through countless surgeries and hours of rehabilitation before he embarked on an entrepreneurial career. Following his graduation from the boot-camp program at FSU, J.R. made it his mission to share his story through motivational speaking in hopes of inspiring others to overcome adversity.
I was lucky enough to spend some time with J.R. and it was truly inspiring to hear him share his story with the countless fans that spoke with him throughout the game. It was also great to see real fans enaging with the kiosks, because the more people recycle in the kiosks, the more help veterans like J.R. will receive.
I am also personally excited about the continued roll out of Dream Machines across the country because providing access to recycling bins in “on-the-go” locations is a critical step toward increasing the beverage container recycling rate. That is why I was so happy that the Tampa Bay Rays decided to partner with PepsiCo to make Dream Machines available at Tropicana Field. Rays fans can be proud that their efforts are helping make a real difference for our planet and in the lives of U.S. veterans.
The entire day was a huge success and I’m happy to say that all of our Dream Machine Partners, and fans left the ball park feeling like winners!
The Dream Machine recycling initiative was created by PepsiCo in partnership with Waste Management. The national program will introduce thousands of recycling kiosks at popular locations across North America, like Tropicana Field. For more information on PepsiCo’s Dream Machine initiative, find them on Facebook.
