Hardee’s Locations Set Record in Raising More Than $100,000 for Special Olympics Virginia to Send Athletes to Summer Games


Fall Fundraiser Statewide Raises $100,025

RICHMOND, Va., Nov. 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Customers at Hardee’s® restaurants across Virginia operated by Boddie-Noell Enterprises set a record with their generosity by providing more than $100,000 to Special Olympics Virginia for athletes to attend the organization’s upcoming summer games. The proceeds came from customers who paid $1 for a paper pinup and received a coupon sheet good for Hardee’s menu items during the recent five-week campaign.

The Hardee’s Star fundraising campaign will help more than 575 Special Olympics athletes participate in the 2019 edition of this annual community event in June.

Among the festivities to celebrate the successful campaign will be a special dinner at 5 p.m. today for Joe Tremblay (the child featured in campaign materials) at the Hardee’s on Temple Avenue in Colonial Heights. Law enforcement officers who helped in the campaign and Special Olympics officials will be on hand and the event will be broadcast by Special Olympics Virginia on Facebook Live about 5:30 p.m. The organization’s Facebook login information can also be found below with other social media accounts.

Raising the most in this year’s campaign were customers at the Hardee’s at Celebration Station in Virginia Beach. In second place was the Hardee’s of Gloucester (Hayes). Third in sales was the Hardee’s of Chilhowie, VA. All 180 Hardee’s locations in Virginia operated by Boddie-Noell participated in this year’s campaign by selling the paper pinups.

“We’re so very excited about raising over $100,000 for Special Olympics – something we’ve never achieved before. Hats off to our customers who showed their generosity and support for these special athletes,” said Terry Lewis, president of Boddie-Noell’s Hardee’s Restaurant Operations and a board member of Special Olympics Virginia.

“I can think of no better way to celebrate 38 years of partnership with Boddie-Noell and the incredible efforts of our Torch Run volunteers than by raising $100,000 to support the Inclusion Revolution in Virginia!” said Rick Jeffrey, president of Special Olympics Virginia. 

Boddie-Noell Enterprises, the largest Hardee’s franchise operator in the United States,  has now contributed almost $1.8 million to Special Olympics Virginia. It’s the 38th year of the fundraising partnership between franchise operator Boddie-Noell and Special Olympics Virginia. This fall campaign also coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Special Olympics.

In addition to the 2018 Fall fundraiser, in 2019 Boddie-Noell will be a Presenting Sponsor of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Virginia as well as a Presenting Sponsor of the Summer Games on June 8-9, 2019.

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with and without intellectual disabilities. Participation provides them with continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

To learn more about Special Olympics Virginia visit www.specialolympicsva.org.

About Boddie-Noell Enterprises
Family owned Boddie-Noell Enterprises (BNE) has been a Hardee’s franchise operator continuously for more than 55 years. Today BNE is the largest Hardee’s franchisee in the United States with 347 restaurants across four states (Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky and South Carolina). The company employs more than 10,000 people and is headquartered in Rocky Mount, N.C. For more information about the company, visit www.bneinc.com.

About Special Olympics
Special Olympics Virginia is an accredited state program of Special Olympics Incorporated. There are about 140,000 people in Virginia with intellectual disabilities and about 8 million without. Our vision is to inspire an inclusion revolution in every school and every community. Engage with us on Twitter @solympicsva; fb.com/specialolympicsvirginia; and youtube.com/specialolympicsva.

Contacts:

Special Olympics Virginia
Holly Claytor
Senior Director, Public Relations
Direct 804.726.3025
Mobile 804.370.7916
hclaytor@specialolympicsva.org

Boddie-Noell Enterprises
Lindsay Priester or Rick Rountree
919-878-1144
mobile 919-971-4451
lindsay@rickrountree.com or rick@rickrountree.com