Auntie Anne's Launches National Campaign to Fight Childhood Cancer
LANCASTER, PA - (Marketwire - Aug 16, 2012) - Traditionally, National Lemonade Day is a holiday set aside to solely honor this old-fashioned, thirst-quenching drink. For Auntie Anne's, however, which includes both Lemonade and fruit-flavored Lemonade Mixers on its menus in more than 1,200 stores, August 20 not only celebrates this delicious drink but also marks the company's commitment to fighting childhood cancer with an in-store fundraising campaign benefiting Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.
The world's largest hand-rolled soft pretzel franchise aims to raise $500,000 for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation and will be asking guests to "join in the fight against childhood cancer" by visiting their local store and purchasing a paper lemon icon for $1. As a token of appreciation, Auntie Anne's will provide a coupon for $1 off the next purchase of any pretzel product and drink. The fundraising campaign starts Monday and will continue through September, which is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and conclude on Saturday, Oct. 6.
"National Lemonade Day is an exciting time to kick-off our fundraising campaign with an organization inspired by a young girl who hosted front-yard lemonade stands to raise money for children like her, children with cancer. Auntie Anne's franchise partners are committed to raising money for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation and helping achieve Alex's dream of finding a cure for childhood cancer," said Heather Neary, Auntie Anne's Chief Marketing Officer.
This is Auntie Anne's first-ever nationwide fundraising campaign for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. Since forming a partnership with the childhood cancer organization in September 2011, the company has raised more than $150,000 through coin canister donations, local pretzel rolling contests, and the Auntie Anne's C.A.R.E.S. Golf Tournament. The company's fundraising efforts made it one of the top 100 contributors to the Foundation in 2011.
About Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation
The mission of Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation is to raise money and awareness of childhood cancer causes, especially research into new treatments and cures and to encourage and empower others to get involved and make a difference for children with cancer. The non-profit was founded by Alexandra "Alex" Scott who, at the age of four, decided she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help other children with cancer. In 2004, Alex died of Neuroblastoma, a cancer of the nervous system that occurs in infants and young children.
About Auntie Anne's
Auntie Anne's, which started at a farmer's market stand in 1988, mixes, twists, and bakes pretzels to golden brown perfection in full view of customers. Anne and Jonas Beiler purchased the stand to provide the income needed for their vision of providing free counseling services to families and couples in their community. Building on their founder's vision to give back, Auntie Anne's is committed to serving others. In the past 10 years, Auntie Anne's and its employees, franchise partners, and crewmembers have donated nearly $5 million to charitable organizations. For more information about Auntie Anne's, visit www.auntieannes.com, http://www.facebook.com/AuntieAnnesPretzels, or www.twitter.com/AuntieAnnes.
Contacts:
Shannon Zimmerman
Public Relations and Social Media Manager
717-435-1612
Valerie Kinney
Director, Communications
717-435-1610
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