Dear Joyful Heart Community,

I wanted to update you on a development with our submission to the Pepsi Refresh Project.

We learned from Pepsi that they had embedded a supporter-created YouTube video onto their site after our submission was posted and voting had begun. This well-intended action was a mistake and in violation of Pepsi's own contest rules. They did this on their own, not at our request and without our prior knowledge.

Pepsi assured us that our proposal was the leading submission by 6% prior to them doing this and 6% after. Thanks to your support, we spent much of the contest in the #1 spot.

Pepsi also informed us that our submission would be awarded a discretionary $250K grant, the first place funding amount, and assured us that in addition and at our suggestion, the other two top-three proposals in our category would also be funded with a grant.

To read the statement from Pepsi, please visit the Pepsi Refresh Everything Blog here: http://www.refresheverything.com/blog/2010/02/26/learning-as-we-go/

Despite this situation, we remain so incredibly grateful to the thousands of supporters who have volunteered their time, talent and creativity to promoting our idea and share our commitment to heal, educate and empower survivors of abuse. The outpouring of support we have received from supporters of our idea has been absolutely astonishing.

On behalf of Mariska, the Board and staff of JHF, and the countless survivors who we have served and will serve in the future, thank you so much for all of your support and dedication to our cause.

Yours in joy,

Maile M Zambuto
Executive Director
Joyful Heart Foundation