November 17, 2010 // Franchising.com // LOUISVILLE, KY - KFC is taking the application process for its KFC Colonel's Scholars® program to the "Twitterverse" with a web 2.0 spin. Starting today through November 26, high school seniors can try to win a $20,000 Colonel's Scholars scholarship by drafting a single tweet, 140 characters or less, including the hashtag #KFCScholar.
KFC is asking college hopefuls to tweet why they exemplify Colonel Sanders' commitment to education and enriching their communities, and why they are deserving of a college scholarship. The scholarship winner, announced on December 1, will receive up to $5,000 per year for the next four years to pursue a bachelor's degree at an accredited public university within his or her home state.
"Every year, the Kentucky Fried Chicken Foundation awards more than 75 scholarships to college hopefuls who are committed to both their education and enriching their communities," said John Cywinski, Chief Marketing and Food Innovation Officer for KFC. "This year, through one of the hottest emerging forms of media, we want to offer students a creative way to realize their dreams of obtaining a college education."
@KFC_COLONEL Scholarship Applications: The Short and the Tweet of It
KFC Colonel's Scholars, now in its fifth year, is an annual program of the Kentucky Fried Chicken Foundation, an independent charity supported by KFC, its employees and franchisees, and KFC patrons. The KFC Colonel's Scholars' mission is to empower students to improve their lives with scholarship resources. The program has awarded more than $5 million in scholarships since its inception.
For official rules and more information on KFC Colonel's Scholars and the Kentucky Fried Chicken Foundation, visit www.KFC.com or www.KFCscholars.org. The regular application process begins December 1, 2010.
To be eligible to compete for the KFC Colonel's Scholars Scholarship, an individual must:
KFC Colonel's Scholars is a program of Kentucky Fried Chicken Foundation, an independent 501c3 charity funded by KFC, its employees, franchisees and KFC patrons, and seeks to help provide high school students scholarship resources to attend public post-secondary schools within their states of residence. Colonel's Scholars is a registered trademark of KFC Corporation.
KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Ky., is the world's most popular chicken restaurant chain specializing in Original Recipe®, Extra Crispy™, Kentucky Grilled Chicken® and Crispy Strips with home-style sides, Honey BBQ Wings, and freshly made chicken sandwiches including the Double Down™ and the Doublicious™. There are more than 15,000 KFC outlets in 109 countries and territories around the world serving some 12 million customers each day. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky. (NYSE: YUM.) For more information, visit www.kfc.com. Follow KFC on Facebook (www.facebook.com/KFC) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/kfc_colonel).
The Kentucky Fried Chicken concept was pioneered by Colonel Harland Sanders (1890-1980), whose cooking career began at age six. Sanders held jobs ranging from streetcar conductor to insurance salesman, but his cooking skills were a constant throughout his life. In 1930, Sanders operated a service station in Corbin, Ky., and filled the stomachs of hungry travelers who stopped in to fill up their gas tanks. Sanders soon moved his restaurant across the street when he could no longer keep up with the demand from travelers who he had been feeding at his kitchen table. In 1935, the Kentucky Governor made Sanders an honorary Kentucky Colonel for his contributions to the state's cuisine. Over the next decade, the Colonel perfected his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices and the basic cooking technique still used at KFC today. When Sanders was 65, a new interstate highway forced the closure of his restaurant and he was left with only his recipe for fried chicken and a $105 Social Security check. The Colonel hit the road and struck handshake deals with restaurant owners who agreed to sell his fried chicken. What began as a dream fueled by the Original Recipe, a no-quit attitude and a Social Security check grew into the world's largest chicken restaurant chain. Until he passed away in 1980 at the age of 90, the Colonel still traveled 250,000 miles a year visiting KFC restaurants around the world.
As a KFC franchise owner, we recognize there are many franchising choices. KFC offers value and a strong brand that has proven economic stability.