Hardee’s to Help Special Olympics Virginia Raise Funds for Athletes in Advance of Movement’s 50th Anniversary

RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 16, 2017 -- Hardee’s^® restaurants across Virginia operated by Boddie-Noell Enterprises will join forces once again with the law enforcement community to raise funds to help Special Olympics athletes shine. Starting Tuesday, Oct. 17^th, Hardee’s customers who pay $1 for a Star will receive a coupon sheet good for a big savings on specific Hardee’s menu items.

The four-week fundraising campaign is slated to help more than 575 Special Olympics athletes participate in the 2018 edition of Summer Games, an event that coincides with the celebration of the very first Special Olympics Games in 1968. Last year, Hardee’s across the state owned and operated by Boddie-Noell raised more than $88,000 for Special Olympics Virginia through the sale of Stars. This year’s campaign runs through Nov. 13.

This will be the 37^th year that Boddie-Noell Enterprises, the largest Hardee’s franchise operator in the United States, has been partners with the Special Olympics Virginia, contributing in excess of $1.6 million to the organization over that time. Boddie-Noell owns and operates all 177 Hardee’s franchise restaurants across Virginia.

This year’s in-store campaign theme is ”Flame of Hope. Keep it Bright!” The campaign will be supported by law enforcement officers who will run a lighted torch across the state to build awareness of this year’s Special Olympics Virginia Summer Games.

"Special Olympics has come a long way since 1968," said Rick Jeffrey, president of Special Olympics Virginia. "We thank longtime partners like Boddie-Noell for being partners in the Inclusion Revolution."

“We’re excited to reach our 37^th straight year of support of Special Olympics Virginia as we and our loyal customers have done for nearly four decades,” said Terry Lewis, president of Boddie-Noell’s Hardee’s Restaurant Operations and a board member of Special Olympics Virginia. “The role of Special Olympics across Virginia is special and our customers have always stepped forward with contributions at our Hardee’s locations year after year. We hope 2017’s efforts will be the most successful fundraiser to date.”

In addition to the 2017 Fall fundraiser, in 2018 Boddie-Noell will be a Presenting Sponsor of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Virginia as well as a Presenting sponsor of the Summer Games on June 8-10.

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with and without intellectual disabilities. Participation provides them with continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

To learn more about the Special Olympics Virginia visit www.specialolympicsva.org.

About Boddie-Noell Enterprises
Family owned Boddie-Noell Enterprises (BNE) has been a Hardee’s franchise operator continuously for more than 50 years. Today BNE is the largest Hardee’s franchisee in the United States with 343 restaurants across four states (Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky and South Carolina). The company employs more than 10,000 people and is headquartered in Rocky Mount, N.C. For more information about the company, visit www.bneinc.com.

About Special Olympics
Special Olympics Virginia is an accredited state program of Special Olympics Incorporated. There are about 140,000 people in Virginia with intellectual disabilities and about 8 million without. Our vision is to inspire an inclusion revolution in every school and every community. Engage with us on Twitter @solympicsva; fb.com/specialolympicsvirginia; and youtube.com/specialolympicsva.

Contacts:

Special Olympics Virginia
Holly Claytor
Senior Director, Public Relations
Direct 804.726.3025
Mobile 804.370.7916
[email protected]

Boddie-Noell Enterprises
Lindsay Priester
Direct 919-878-1144
Mobile 919-971-4451
[email protected]