Sonic Drive-In donates to seven Bend teachers’ projects for Teacher Appreciation Month
OKLAHOMA CITY (May 31, 2022) - This month, SONIC® Drive-In donated $1.5 million to help fund local education needs through DonorsChoose, a national nonprofit that allows individuals to donate directly to public school classroom requests submitted by teachers.
As part of SONIC's ongoing Limeades for Learning initiative, the brand matched 50 percent of each donation made to teacher requests on DonorsChoose for Teacher Appreciation Day on May 3, donating a total of $1.5 million. With this donation, SONIC helped fully fund more than 9,000 projects from teachers across the country.
The following are among the exceptional teachers who received funding:
In Bend, even exceptional teachers at six schools received a combined donation of $799.00, including:
- April Mccarthy at Bend Senior High School for the project "Help! Our Student Store Needs an Update!" for Grades 9-12
- Alisha Clawson at Buckingham Elementary School for the project "Out With a Bang!" for Grades 3-5
- Heather Light at Buckingham Elementary School for the project "Making Mornings Softer in Fifth Grade" for Grades 3-5
- Anna Wessinger at Caldera High School for the project "Book Clubs in Verse" for Grades 9-12
- Katy Byrns at High Desert Middle School for the project "Ending the Year With a Hero's Journey" for Grades 6-8
- Heather Dunn at Pine Ridge Elementary School for the project "Multisensory Learning" for Grades PreK-2
- Sydney Murphy at Silver Rail Elementary School for the project "Intelligent Insects" for Grades 3-5
"Limeades for Learning is an initiative that SONIC holds dear, and we're proud to partner with DonorsChoose on this important work," said Lori Abou Habib, Chief Marketing Officer of SONIC. "Drink purchases at SONIC bring joy to our guests while supporting students and teachers in the classroom."
SONIC donates a portion of drink proceeds to support local public schools through Limeades for Learning, in partnership with education nonprofit, DonorsChoose*. SONIC has donated more than $20 million to directly fund local education programs since 2009.
For those wishing to make an additional donation to a classroom project in their local community, visit DonorsChoose.org and donate to one or more of the thousands of public school teacher requests seeking support to provide students with educational resources.
About SONIC® Drive-In
SONIC, founded in 1953, is the largest drive-in restaurant brand in the United States with more than 3,500 restaurants in 46 states. Served by SONIC's iconic Carhops, the restaurant's expansive, award-winning menu offers unique, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, and drink options for the whole family. SONIC is part of the Inspire Brands family of restaurants. For more information, visit SonicDriveIn.com and InspireBrands.com.
About DonorsChoose
DonorsChoose is the leading way to give to public schools. Since 2000, 5.29 million people and partners have contributed $1.3 billion to support more than 2 million teacher requests for classroom resources and experiences. As the most trusted crowdfunding platform for teachers, donors, and district administrators alike, DonorsChoose vets each request, ships the funded resources directly to the classroom, and provides thank yous and reporting to donors and school leaders. Charity Navigator and GuideStar have awarded DonorsChoose, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, their highest ratings for transparency and accountability. For more information, visit DonorsChoose.org.
*SONIC donates one cent to nonprofit partner DonorsChoose for each cup sold at participating Drive-In locations, which is used to fund classroom needs submitted by teachers across the U.S. Plastic cups are excluded from the donation program.
