• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, July 15, 2011

Major brands are continuing their support of funds-strapped U.S. state parks, with campaigns focused during the summer months.

Cause-related state park partnerships include a number organized by marketing agency Good Solutions Group (GSG). Since its launch in 2003, corporate partnerships organized by GSG have raised $7.5 million in cash and services for state parks.

This year, Coca-Cola Company brand Odwalla is donating $100,000 to GSG's "Plant a Tree" program, enabling planting of nearly 81,000 trees in parks. Odwalls has previously donated $350,00 worth of trees to that program.

Coca-Cola Company, through a "Preserve Our Parks" fund-raising campaign with the Stater Bros. grocery chain conducted during April and May 2011, recently donated over $716,000 to Southern California state parks.  The campaign included asking Stater Bros. customers to make $1 donations, plus C-C's donation of $1 for every $10 worth of C-C products purchased in Stater stores.

In the program's three years, nearly $2 million has been raised for the California parks.

In addition, an "Explore Your Parks" program  sponsored by North Face has this year been expanded to parks in eight states. The program provides grants to parks for hiking and other events that encourage active, outdoor activities. Those activities support First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move," anti-obesity initiative.