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Burger King Corp. Continues to Provide Assistance to the Haitian Community in South Florida and in Haiti

By: Burger King |  4 Shares     70 Reads

Burger King Corp. and BK(R) Restaurants Across the U.S. and Puerto Rico Raise More Than $300,000 for American Red Cross

MIAMI (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Burger King Corp. (NYSE: BKC) continues its commitment to providing assistance to Haitians both in Haiti and South Florida, where the BURGER KING(R) brand was founded more than 55 years ago.

The company recently partnered with Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center and the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center to provide a series of free legal assistance clinics to the Haitian community of South Florida.

BKC lawyers, paralegals, other employees and family members -- as well as several lawyers from BKC's outside law firm -- assisted 60 Haitians at the Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center to complete their applications for Temporary Protected Status, which will allow them to live and work legally in the United States for at least 18 months.

"There is a tremendous need for free legal assistance in the Haitian community, and as part of our continued support of the relief and development efforts, we wanted to assist these individuals in receiving Temporary Protected Status," said Anne Chwat, executive vice president and general counsel for BKC and president of the HAVE IT YOUR WAY(R) Foundation, the charitable arm of the company. "With this updated immigration status, their employment opportunities are greatly expanded, allowing them to remain in the U.S. and provide financial assistance to relatives in Haiti."

BKC leveraged existing business relationships with CVS Caremark Corporation (CVS), IKON Office Solutions (IKON) and Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) for additional assistance with the effort. CVS provided free passport photos to accompany the application, IKON provided copy machines, printers and paper, and ACS provided information technology support.

BURGER KING(R) Brand Supports Relief and Development Efforts

The HAVE IT YOUR WAY(R) Foundation launched the BURGER KING(R) brand's support of the Haiti relief and development efforts with its $55,000 donation to the American Red Cross immediately following the earthquake in January. BURGER KING(R) restaurants in the U.S. and Puerto Rico also quickly rallied to further support the efforts by accepting donations in restaurants, raising more than $245,000 for the American Red Cross.

Donations are still being accepted through www.haveityourwayfoundation.org, the official Web site for the HAVE IT YOUR WAY(R) Foundation. To donate, visit www.haveityourwayfoundation.org and click on "Haiti Relief Fund Donations" and follow the steps to complete the online donation.

ABOUT BURGER KING CORPORATION

The BURGER KING(R) system operates more than 12,000 restaurants in all 50 states and in 73 countries and U.S. territories worldwide. Approximately 90 percent of BURGER KING(R) restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, many of them family-owned operations that have been in business for decades. In 2008, Fortune magazine ranked Burger King Corp. (BKC) among America's 1,000 largest corporations and in 2010, Standard & Poor's included shares of Burger King Holdings, Inc. in the S&P MidCap 400 index. BKC was recently recognized by Interbrand on its top 100 "Best Global Brands" list and Ad Week has named it one of the top three industry-changing advertisers within the last three decades.

Through its BK Positive Steps(R) corporate responsibility program, the BURGER KING(R) system is committed to being a socially responsible brand in all areas of its business - food, people, the environment and corporate governance. To learn more about the BK Positive Steps(R) corporate responsibility program and view the complete fiscal 2009 report, visit www.bk.com/corporateresponsibility.

About Have It Your Way Foundation, Inc.

The HAVE IT YOUR WAY(R) Foundation is a 501(C) (3) not-for-profit public charity, whose mission is to make a positive impact in the communities in which we work and live in collaboration with the extended BURGER KING(R) family. The HAVE IT YOUR WAY(R) Foundation is an integral part of Burger King Corp.'s BK Positive Steps(R) corporate responsibility program.

SOURCE: Burger King Corporation

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