SONIC® Launches Five-week Push to Pour Half a Million Dollars into Classrooms

Limeades for Learning® program puts SONIC donation dollars in the hands of voters to support public schools

Sep 24, 2012 10:20 AM ET

Limeades for Learning. (PRNewsFoto/SONIC Drive-In)

OKLAHOMA CITY, Sept. 24, 2012 / 3BL Media / PRNewswire/ -- With class in session for students across the country, SONIC Drive-In is re-enrolling its commitment to education with the official launch of the 2012 Limeades for Learning campaign.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110829/CG58741LOGO)

The 2012 edition of the cause branding initiative in partnership with DonorsChoose.org begins today and allows the public to vote online at LimeadesforLearning.com for their favorite public school classroom projects and direct more than half a million dollars in SONIC donations to local schools. SONIC has donated more than $2 million to public school classrooms through the program since 2009.

"The rush and excitement that comes with the start of a new school year can quickly change if teachers aren't equipped with the resources to inspire their students to learn," said James O'Reilly, chief marketing officer for SONIC. "For that reason, SONIC's commitment through Limeades for Learning is a true partnership with our communities and lets our customers and the public direct our dollars to the public school classroom projects that mean the most to them."

The classroom projects with the most votes each week in the five-week campaign are fully funded by SONIC. Anyone with a valid email address can vote online once per day at LimeadesforLearning.com from September 24 through October 29, with every 10 votes unlocking two bonus votes awarded via email. In addition, customers can visit their local drive-ins and with receive two extra votes via special bag stickers with any SONIC purchase.

Two special incentives are in place to motivate voters to vote daily and campaign for their favorite projects. If four million votes are cast by October 29, SONIC will unlock an additional $100,000 to fund more classroom projects. The four million vote mark also earns all voters a coupon for a free medium Cherry Limeade.

The number of SONIC teacher projects – ranging in subjects from literature to science to art supplies – was nearly 6,000 as of September 24. That number is hardly surprising following the results of a recent study by the National School Supply and Equipment Association. According to the study, public school teachers spent an estimated $3.5 billion on educational products during the 2009-10 school year. Teachers' personal money is the most common source of money for classroom educational products according to the report.

Please visit LimeadesforLearning.com for more information on Limeades for Learning and how teachers, students and the public can get involved to support public education.

About SONIC Drive-In

SONIC^®, America's Drive-In^® (NASDAQ/NM: SONC) started as a hamburger and root beer stand in 1953 in Shawnee, Okla., called Top Hat Drive-In, and then changed its name to SONIC in 1959. The first drive-in to adopt the SONIC name is still serving customers in Stillwater, Okla. As the nation's largest chain of drive-in restaurants, SONIC has more than 3,500 drive-ins in 43 states coast to coast. Approximately 3 million customers eat at SONIC every day; and with more drink combinations than any other quick-service restaurant – 398,929 – SONIC is Your Ultimate Drink Stop^®. For more information about Sonic Corp. and its subsidiaries, visit SONIC at SonicDriveIn.com. Through Limeades for Learning^®, SONIC and its franchise partners have donated more than $2 million dollars to public school classrooms in local communities across the country. Visit LimeadesforLearning.com to learn more about SONIC's commitment to education.

About DonorsChoose.org

Founded in 2000, DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need. Public school teachers from every corner of America post requests, and individuals can give directly to the ones that inspire them. To date, 240,000 public and charter school teachers have used DonorsChoose.org to secure $122 million in books, art supplies, technology, and other resources that their students need to learn.

FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Kelli Hindes
816.423.6138
khindes@crossroads.us