Auntie Anne’s commitment to community giving is part of the company’s founding heritage and is evident today through its support of numerous charitable efforts, including a new fundraising campaign for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to finding cures for all kids with cancer.
Franchise partners, crewmembers, and corporate associates at the world’s largest hand-rolled soft pretzel chain are rallying behind the fight against childhood cancer with nationwide efforts that launch this month and encourage guests to “give a little, laugh a lot” via a paper lemon sale and twice-weekly Happy Hour events.
The fundraising efforts kick off on National Lemonade Day with the first in a series of Happy Hours that reward guests who donate with a free pretzel. From 2 to 4 p.m., August 20 through September 26, guests can visit any of the soft pretzel company’s 1,012 domestic store locations each Tuesday and Thursday; purchase a $1 lemon icon featuring a fun, kid-friendly joke and a 21-ounce soda or lemonade; and receive a free pretzel. Guests are also encouraged to share their own lemon joke via their favorite social media platform and use the hashtag #LemonHappy.
Guests can visit their local store at any time to show their support for the childhood cancer cause and purchase a $1 paper lemon icon. One hundred percent of proceeds will be donated to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.
For every $1 donation, Auntie Anne’s will provide a coupon for $1 off the next purchase of any pretzel product and drink. Each Auntie Anne’s location set a goal of selling 650 lemon jokes.
“We are committed to fighting childhood cancer with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, specifically because this is a cause that is important to guests who frequent our stores,” says Heather Neary, Auntie Anne’s chief marketing officer.
“One in every 330 Americans develops cancer before the age of 20,” she adds. “By highlighting our national charitable partnership, guests recognize that they can visit Auntie Anne’s for a one-of-a-kind taste and support an organization committed to making the world a better place for children.”
The fundraising campaign starts Tuesday, August 20, on National Lemonade Day, and will continue through September, National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and conclude on Tuesday, October 15.
Auntie Anne’s set a system-wide goal of raising $500,000 during this eight-week time period. To date, Auntie Anne’s has raised more than $400,000 for childhood cancer research and has been named a top 100 contributor to the Foundation in 2011 and 2012.
