MVP Baseball Slugger Albert Pujols the Latest Milk-Drinking Athlete to Urge Teens to Make a Difference in Their Bodies, Their Fitness...and in the World Around Them

WASHINGTON, March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- They may represent completely different sports, but when it comes to the health and fitness of America's youth, these athletes play on the same team. Today, MVP baseball slugger Albert Pujols joins fellow Milk Mustache athletes, NBA All-Star and Utah Jazz point guard Deron Williams and gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson, as part of the Milk Mustache "Dream Team" to inspire teens to "Drink Milk for a Change." They know that drinking milk can help make a difference – for their bodies and now through a special community service opportunity in their world.

Lowfat milk has nine essential nutrients, including calcium and vitamin D for strong bones and protein for lean muscle. Studies suggest being active, eating right and drinking three glasses of fat free or lowfat milk each day may help maintain a healthy weight.

Pujols ad, which reads, "Want muscle? got milk?" reinforces the importance of milk's high quality protein. Along with regular exercise, protein can help build and maintain lean muscle – essential for athletes like Pujols to perform their best on the field.

"For me, I drink lowfat chocolate milk after a long day on the field," said Pujols, who was on hand to unveil his new ad at the St. Louis Cardinals spring training facility in Jupiter, Fla. "It's a natural source of protein plus it has carbs so it helps me rebuild and refuel my tired muscles after being active. It's an important part of my recovery routine to get ready for the next nine innings, season after season."

Pujols, Williams and Johnson, who each appear in their own "got milk?" print ads, school banners and posters, join the ranks of more than 290 other athletes, actors, models and musicians who have lent their upper lips in support of milk and its many health benefits.  

Get Ready to Change the World With Milk

The "dream team" of athletes is calling on teens to get active, drink milk for a positive change in themselves and make a difference for others. They have teamed up with the "got milk?"® Campaign to each champion a worthy project that's close to their hearts and that will help make a positive change in local communities. Teens can help select which project will be completed by voting online at www.BodyByMilk.com by April 30. One lucky teen and three friends will even win the chance to work alongside professional athletes at the winning project.  

• "Project BUILD" – In northwest and south central Georgia, flooding forced many families out of their homes. Just like Hurricane Katrina, it's a disaster that shocked and saddened millions of Americans – including Albert Pujols, who is calling on teens to help him lift one family of flood victims from this region out of homelessness and into a new home built by hand from the ground up.

• "Project REPLENISH" – Millions of kids nationwide aren't fortunate enough to have safe places to play and exercise. Deron Williams wants to change that one community at a time. That's why he's urging teens to get behind his project to help build an amazing new basketball court in San Antonio, Texas, that will help kids develop healthy exercise habits. San Antonio has one of the highest rates of obesity in the Unites States.

• "Project SHINE" – Shawn Johnson understands the importance of a good education but she knows that many kids aren't as fortunate as she in having the support or resources to provide them with a bright future.  That's why she wants teens to back her in helping kids in Detroit, Mich. shine from the inside out by renovating a school or learning center to give them a brighter future. High unemployment throughout the country, including Detroit, has prioritized the need for stronger education.

While online, teens can follow in the footsteps of their favorite celebrities and show how they're drinking milk for a change by creating their own Milk Mustache ads…and even share them with their friends on Facebook. What's more, teens can check out the new celebrity ads, plus exclusive behind-the-scenes ad shoot footage and exclusive interviews with the athletes.

Change Your Beverage. Change Your Body. Change Your Performance

Pujols, Williams and Johnson know that what they eat and drink can make a difference in their performance and their bodies – and they know the important role that milk can play for active adults and teens, too.  Milk is a natural source of high-quality protein, which, when combined with exercise, can help BUILD lean muscle; it also has carbohydrates, protein, electrolytes and fluids to help teens refuel and REPLENISH after exercise; and drinking milk can help teens SHINE thanks to essential nutrients like vitamin A for healthy skin. What's more, drinking milk gives teens the calcium, vitamin D and other nutrients they need during the critical bone-building years.

About Body By Milk®

Body By Milk® is part of the National Milk Mustache "got milk?"® Campaign, a multi-faceted education program focused on the health benefits of milk. The campaign is managed by the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) in Washington, D.C., which is funded by the Nation's milk processors, who are committed to increasing fluid milk consumption. For more information, go to www.BodyByMilk.com. Deutsch, A Lowe and Partners Company, is the creative agency for the National Milk Mustache "got milk?®" Campaign.

About The NBA

NBA Cares is the league's social responsibility initiative that builds on the NBA's long tradition of addressing important social issues in the United States and around the world.  Through this umbrella program, the NBA, its teams and players have donated more than $115 million to charity, provided more than one million hours of  hands-on service to communities around the world, and created more than 440 places where kids and families can live, learn or play.  NBA Cares works with internationally recognized youth-serving programs that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes, including: KaBOOM!, Special Olympics, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, UNICEF, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis.

SOURCE MilkPEP (Milk Processors Education Program)

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