The Pepsi Bottling Group and Winn-Dixie Announce Minority Scholarship Winners.

Students to be Recognized during Jaguars' Pre-Game Ceremony on Sunday

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Darchelle Colbert wants to be a pediatric surgeon so she can help children. Damien Solorzano plans to become a marine biologist, because he's always had a passion for fishing. Michael Alexander has his heart set on starting a construction company and helping to rebuild his childhood neighborhood. All of these minority high school students will get help achieving their dreams - thanks to The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc.'s (PBG) and Winn-Dixie's Minority Scholarship Program in North Florida and South Georgia. Pepsi-Cola North America is also a strong supporter of the program.

This year's 10 winners will be recognized during a Jacksonville Jaguars' pre-game ceremony at ALLTELL Stadium, Sunday, November 12 at 12:30 p.m. A total of $30,000 will be divided among the 10 winners based on each student's score in the scholarship judging process.

"My guidance counselor came into my class and told me I was a winner," said Jose Santillan, 17, from Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville. "I was very excited because it made me feel like I had accomplished something - and I'm closer to achieving my goal of being an engineer or an architect."

"We think this is one of the best ways we can support young people - and help them achieve their goals," said Pat Devlin, Vice President and General Manager of the North Florida/South Georgia Market Unit at PBG. "This year's winners are accomplished and ambitious, and we salute them for their commitment to their futures."

"Providing a helping hand and opening up possibilities for young people through scholarships is an investment in our country's future," said Terry Derreberry, Winn-Dixie's director of neighborhood marketing. "It's an honor and a pleasure to join one of our business partners in making this gift."

The complete list of this year's scholarship winners is as follows: Michael Alexander and Damien Solorzano from First Coast High School in Jacksonville; Rikeshia Baxter from Mandarin High School in Jacksonville; Nicole Bryant from Andrew Jackson High School in Jacksonville; Craig Burney from William M. Raines High School in Jacksonville; Darchelle Colbert from A. Philip Randolph Academies of Technology in Jacksonville; Elizabeth Nguyen from Allen D. Nease High School in Jacksonville; Matthew Martin from Bartram Trail High School in Jacksonville; Jose Santillan from Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville and Parnika Salooja from Saint Augustine High School in Saint Augustine, Fla.

The Pepsi Bottling Group Minority Scholarship Golf Tournament and Scholarship Fund was established in 1992 by PBG employees Charles B. Albertie and Marie McKenzie and retired NFL football player Greg Coleman. The golf tournament has raised more than $200,000, resulting in more than 70 scholarships for minority high school students. Students were able to obtain scholarship applications at Winn-Dixie stores. Applicants were evaluated on the basis of their grade point average, community and school involvement, as well as interviews conducted by community leaders, representatives from Winn-Dixie and PBG employees.

The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. (www.pbg.com) is the world's largest manufacturer, seller and distributor of Pepsi-Cola beverages with operations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Turkey and Greece.

Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. is one of the nation's largest food retailers. Founded in 1925, the company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. For more information, please visit www.winn-dixie.com.