John R. Nein Jr. and Cristina Smith have each been awarded a $20,000 college scholarship and named members of the Coca-Cola Enterprises Johnston Legacy Scholarship Program.

John plans to attend Virginia Tech next fall. Cristina plans to attend Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania.

Since 2002, Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., or CCE, has awarded 500 college scholarships to children of its employees.

One out of 100 employees whose child was selected as a scholarship recipient this year, John Nein Sr. works as a quality assurance manager at the Richmond Production Center in Richmond. He has been with the company since 2006. John Light Sr., father of Cristina, works as a distribution supervisor. He has been with the company since 1995.

"Not only does this scholarship help students reach their goals of higher education, it also shows CCE's commitment to corporate responsibility and sustainability," said Freager Sanders, director of operations. "We are especially grateful to be able to offer this opportunity to the children of our employees in our local community."

The Coca-Cola Enterprises Johnston Legacy Scholarship was created in honor of CCE's 15th anniversary and as a tribute to the company's former CEO, Summerfield K. Johnston Jr., who focused a large part of his career on youth development and education. Johnston is the grandson of the first licensed Coca-Cola bottler.

The Coca-Cola Bottling Co. is an operating company of Coca-Cola Enterprises, which is the world's largest marketer, distributor and producer of bottle and can liquid nonalcoholic refreshment.