Today, SONIC Drive-In, the nation’s largest chain of drive-in restaurants, announced the return of its annual Limeades for Learning initiative. This national award-winning and voter-driven philanthropic campaign provides much needed supplies to local public school teachers facilitated through SONIC’s partnership with DonorsChoose.org. With this year’s funding, SONIC will have contributed more than $4 million to increasing the quality of education for students in need.
Every year, teachers spend more than $1 billion of their own money on school supplies, that’s roughly $485 per teacher. SONIC’s Limeades for Learning campaign provides essential funds needed for learning materials and innovative teaching techniques to inspire the youth of America.
“We know our guests are looking for ways to make a difference in their local communities and Limeades for Learning provides a fun, easy way to help give back, and our guests have really responded,” says Clifford Hudson, chairman, chief executive officer, and president of Sonic Corp. “By simply visiting LimeadesforLearning.com and voting for teacher projects that resonate with you, you can help SONIC Drive-In fully fund projects every week during the course of the campaign.”
To kick off this year’s sixth Limeades for Learning campaign, SONIC is funding a classroom project for all eligible teachers in its hometown, Oklahoma City. A total of 68 Oklahoma City teachers and 2,040 students will benefit from these funds, totaling $45,206.86.
SONIC guests can make a difference at schools in their local communities by voting online September 22 through October 26 at LimeadesforLearning.com for their favorite projects submitted by teachers in need. In 2014, more than a half million dollars in SONIC donations will go toward public school classroom projects around the country this year.
There are multiple ways to vote: Create an account on LimeadesforLearning.com with a valid email address and receive one vote per day; visit a SONIC Drive-In and receive two extra vote codes on a bag sticker; vote online ten times and get two extra votes; or share your vote on social media or email to receive additional votes.
“From books teachers want their students to read, to field trips that inspire students, SONIC’s Limeades for Learning has helped fulfill thousands of teacher projects that really make a difference in children’s lives in local communities everywhere,” says Charles Best, founder and chief executive officer at DonorsChoose.org. “Through strong guest participation and support, SONIC has delivered meaningful and impactful classroom supplies to 7,000 teachers, helping more than 500,000 students.”