Those with Down syndrome stand to benefit from a generous donation presented by Penn Station East Coast Subs at Sunday’s Cincinnati Reds baseball game. This leading fast-casual sandwich restaurant franchise continues its long-standing tradition of community support with the contribution of $153,964.43 to Down syndrome organizations across the Midwest. This year’s donation brings the total raised over the last few years to more than $1,000,000 and is one example of the Cincinnati-based franchise system’s commitment to positively impact the lives of individuals with Down syndrome and their families. 

Every year,  for a few weeks in March, Penn Station restaurants encourage customers to participate in a round-up campaign, which allows the customer to round up their purchase total to the nearest dollar. This year, Penn Station matched a portion of the customer donations to amplify the impact of the contributions.

The funds raised through this campaign are crucial to support these organizations’ efforts to provide resources, education, and enrichment programs like camps for individuals with Down syndrome.

Penn Station’s Somerset, Kentucky, location raised the most funds out of all locations this year, and the managing owner, Allyn Townes and the operations director, Josh Smith, proudly participated in Sunday’s check presentation at the Reds baseball game. Accepting the check on behalf of Down syndrome organizations were Betsy and Greg Browe and their daughter Cora, along with Kari and and son Ryan and Stephanie Thompson.  Ryan (9) was invited to throw the ceremonial first pitch and operations director Josh acted as catcher. 

Craig Dunaway, Chief Operating Officer at Penn Station, expressed the company’s deep connection to the cause, “This is a cause that our founder, Jeff Osterfeld, has been intimately involved with for more than two decades. We are proud to continue our support through annual fundraising efforts across all our markets, enhancing the lives of many individuals and their families throughout all Penn Station markets..”

Penn Station’s history of supporting Down syndrome initiatives also includes fully funding the National Down Syndrome Adoption Network and sponsoring various community events for more than a decade. 

This donation from the round-up campaign not only highlights Penn Station’s commitment to community involvement but also the power of customer participation in making a significant difference through simple acts of generosity.