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From now through Father's Day, a cool Frosty from Wendy's can help warm the hearts of thousands of children seeking adoptive families. Even "virtual" Frostys will do the trick.
The fifth annual Father's Day Frosty Weekend will take place Saturday, June 18, and Father's Day Sunday, June 19, when participating Wendy's nationwide will donate 50-cents for every Frosty product sold to support Wendy's Wonderful Kids. The organization finds permanent adoptive families for foster children as the signature program of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (DTFA).
The fundraising begins now, as customers can honor dads while helping the cause of Wendy's Wonderful Kids in several other innovative ways. Now through Sunday, June 19, the following designated Treat it Forward social media interactions—on Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare—will result in additional 50-cent donations (to a total of $50,000) from Wendy's to benefit Wendy's Wonderful Kids. They include:
- Twitter – Use the Treat it Forward application on www.facebook.com/frosty [10] (Treat it Fwd tab), or use the hashtag: #TreatItFwd. A donation will be made by Wendy's for each designated tweet or re-tweet made from Treat it Forward.
- Facebook – Send a Facebook friend a "virtual" Frosty or tell friends about Father's Day Frosty Weekend through the Facebook application found on www.facebook.com/frosty [10] (Treat it Fwd tab); as a result, Wendy's will make a donation. Also, from Facebook, on Father's Day Weekend only (June 18 and 19), offer a "Here's to You, Dad!" Frosty "virtual toast" by snapping a photo of you raising your Frosty cup to Dad, tagging it with the words "Wendy's Father's Day Frosty Weekend" and posting it to Wendy's Facebook wall or tweeting it. This, too, will result in a donation from Wendy's.
- Foursquare – Every person that 'checks-in' to a Wendy's during Father's Day Weekend only (June 18 and 19) will result in a donation from Wendy's.
Since its inception in 2007, Father's Day Frosty Weekend has raised more than $6.2 million for Wendy's Wonderful Kids. This year, Wendy's hopes to raise another $1.7 million, enough money to fund about 25 private recruiters or agencies who work to find permanent homes for children who have waited too long—five years or more—for a forever family. To date, 2,206 children have been adopted through Wendy's Wonderful Kids, and several thousand more are in process or pending.
"Father's Day Frosty Weekend has become a wonderful Wendy's tradition that furthers the efforts of our founder, Dave Thomas, an adoptee who devoted his life to the needs of children in foster care," says David Karam, president, Wendy's International. "Sharing a Frosty and helping children in need—what better ways to honor Dave and our dads on Father's Day?"
Wendy's and its customers donate millions of dollars annually to Wendy's Wonderful Kids, a program that finds permanent adoptive families for foster children who have been lost in the system. Many are older children or those with special physical or emotional needs. Active in all 50 states, Wendy's Wonderful Kids has provided funding for 122 agencies or private recruiters.
"Dave Thomas believed that every child should have the same chances he was given, and we are continuing that commitment with Wendy's Wonderful Kids," says Rita Soronen, executive director of the DTFA. "We are gratified that our customers are so eager to help raise funds and awareness for the program—on Father's Day Frosty Weekend and year round."
