Carl’s Jr.® announced that customers supporting an in-store restaurant fundraising program in May 2006 donated more than $300,00 for breast cancer awareness and support. A portion of the funds were presented during an annual franchise conference event on Wednesday in Chicago and accepted by Janelle Hail, founder of the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF). This is the second year that Carl’s Jr. franchise restaurants have conducted the in-store donation program, and the first that company-operated restaurants joined in to support the cause.
During the month-long “Pink Star” charity promotion in May of this year, Carl’s Jr. restaurant guests at nearly 1,000 locations across the western U.S. were encouraged to donate $1 to breast cancer when placing their order at the register. As a thank-you for the donation, these guests received a personalized pink Happy Star(TM) to put on display in the lobby and a coupon redeemable for a free beverage on a future visit. Funds raised during a golf tournament event in the same month bolstered the cause.
“We at Carl’s Jr. are proud of our commitment to community involvement, and are pleased to see that commitment benefit others through this year’s Pink Star breast cancer donation program,” said president and chief executive officer Andrew F. Puzder. “Together with our franchise community, it was the goal to raise more than $300,000 for the cause, and our customers came through. We are humbled by the gesture of support and thrilled to present these funds to aid in promoting awareness and the early detection of breast cancer.”
The NBCF is a not-for-profit organization committed to saving lives through increasing awareness of breast cancer through education, and by providing mammograms to women in need. “The National Breast Cancer Foundation is grateful and thankful for the support of CKE Restaurants, Inc. and the generosity of its Carl’s Jr. customers. We are amazed at the size of the gift. There will be women alive this time next year because of these efforts,” said Janelle Hail, NBCF founder.
According to the NBCF, more than 200,000 women in America will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year–and one fifth of those will die from the disease. One woman in eight has or will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. In addition, more than 1,000 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year; the disease will claim nearly half diagnosed. If detected early, the five-year survival rate exceeds 95 percent. Mammograms are among the best early-detection methods, yet 13 million American women over the age of 40 have never had a mammogram. For more information about the disease, early detection, and ways you can help, visit the NBCF Web site at www.nationalbreastcancer.org.
