Taco Bell Rewards Alaskan Students with Trip of a Lifetime
When students from Bethel, Alaska boarded a flight to Los Angeles last month, it was the first time many of them had been on a plane, even left the state. But it wasn’t the first time Taco Bell has shown a commitment to helping them achieve Más.
In 2012, students at Bethel Regional High School, along with the rest of their remote 6,300 person town, were thrilled to hear Taco Bell would be opening a restaurant there. The only problem was, what they’d heard was a rumor. The brand had no such plans.
When Taco Bell learned of the town’s disappointment via social media, the team determined it would make Bethel’s wish come true, just in a different form. The brand helicoptered in thousands of Doritos Locos Tacos to the delight of the town, demonstrating what it means to feed people’s lives with Más.
A year later, Taco Bell made a second visit, this time with a new delivery: hope and inspiration. The high school, historically plagued by high drop-out rates, won a national academic competition focused on student commitment to graduating. As part of the celebration, Taco Bell CEO Greg Creed delivered a teen-focused leadership course for students, and basketball star James Harden and hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar served as principals for a day.
At the conclusion of his trip, Creed challenged the students in the course to create a community project to showcase their leadership training. The Taco Bell team was so impressed with the groups’ efforts that they invited all 28 students to Irvine to continue their learning at the brand’s Restaurant Support Center, catch an Angels game and visit Disneyland.
