Sailormen Inc., one of the largest domestic franchisees of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurants, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association announced that the annual MDA Golf Classic and the 2016 “Appetite for a Cure” program have raised a record-breaking $838,358 to save and improve the lives of kids and adults with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related life-threatening diseases that severely weaken muscle strength and mobility.
The Sailormen Inc. Golf Classic celebrated its 12th anniversary on May 12 in Miami Lakes, Florida at Don Shula’s Golf and Country Club. More than 40 companies sponsored the premier golf event that raised more than $150,000 to help individuals served by MDA.
Additionally, this year's “Appetite for a Cure” program ran from February 1 through March 20 at participating Popeyes restaurants in South Florida and across the Southeast. The program raised a record $676,863, over $100,000 more than 2015, through the sale of $1 coupon cards worth $30 to be used toward free and discounted purchases during future visits.
"Each year, I’m proud that Sailormen/Popeyes employees, customers, and business partners come together to offer their unyielding support for such a worthy cause,” says Bob Berg, Sailormen Inc. chairman. “The MDA Golf Classic brings the community together to help raise significant funds that will help MDA provide its families with the critical resources they need to live longer and grow stronger. This year’s golf tournament, combined with what the stores raised with our ‘Appetite for a Cure’ campaign, we donated more than $838,358 to MDA, and we hope to make each year more successful than the last.”
“The relationship between MDA and Sailormen is a testament to their longstanding commitment to help bring strength, independence, and life to hundreds of local kids and adults living with life-threatening muscle diseases,” says Regina Morales, MDA director of business development. “It is with support from Sailormen/Popeyes that we are able to provide families with the care they need today, while helping to make tomorrow free from the diseases themselves.”
Funds raised during the annual coupon program and golf tournament help MDA’s efforts to fund groundbreaking research and life-enhancing programs such as support groups and Care Centers, including the MDA Care Center at the University of Miami School of Medicine. They also help send kids to “the best week of the year,” to a weeklong, barrier-free MDA Summer Camp at Gold Coast Camp in Lake Worth, Florida.
