Denny's And Florida Tour de Force Set For 21st Annual Charity Ride

SPARTANBURG, S.C., April 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Denny's locations in several cities throughout Florida will be gearing up next week to support hundreds of riders hitting the road for the 21st annual Florida Tour de Force, a five-day, 275-mile charity bicycle ride that raises money for the surviving family members of Florida law enforcement personnel lost in the line of duty. This year's Tour de Force ride will begin with a kickoff celebration Monday, April 9 at the Denny's location in North Miami Beach and continue up the Florida Coast before concluding in Orlando on Friday, April 13.

The annual Florida Tour de Force charity ride, which included over 800 riders last year, began in 1997 with 10 riders who wanted to honor Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Robert Smith, who was killed in the line of duty by a drunk driver. Since its inception, the event has raised more than $500,000 for the families of fallen officers, law enforcement and related organizations.

This year's ride will help to raise funds for the surviving family members of Florida law enforcement who lost their lives in the line of duty in 2017. This year's honorees include:

• Lieutenant Debra Clayton, Orlando Police Department
• Police Officer Matthew Scott Baxter, Kissimmee Police Department
• Master Sergeant William Trampas Bishop, Florida Highway Patrol
• Deputy Sheriff Julie Bridges, Hardee County Sheriff's Office
• Correctional Officer Joe William Heddy, Jr., Escambia County Department of Corrections
• Sergeant Richard Samuel Howard, Kissimmee Police Department
• Deputy First Class Norman Lewis, Orange County Sheriff's Office
• Officer Joshua Sanchez Montaad, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
• Special Agent Rickey O'Donald, United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Sergeant Joseph Ossman, Florida Department of Corrections
• Deputy Michael David Ryan, Broward Sheriff's Office
• Captain Charles Frank Scavuzzo, St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office

The Denny's located at 1450 NE Miami Gardens Drive in North Miami Beach will serve as the host and starting point for the 2018 Florida Tour de Force, which will then travel along the East Coast of Florida through 40 different law enforcement jurisdictions over the five-day ride. Denny's locations in Lake Worth, Port St. Lucie, Titusville and Orlando will also support the riders as starting/stopping and rest stop points throughout this year's route.

This year will mark the seventh-consecutive year that Denny's has had the honor of serving as the title sponsor for Florida Tour de Force. As part of this year's partnership, the Denny's locations in North Miami Beach and Orlando also held special benefit events with a portion of all restaurant sales going to Florida Tour de Force.

"The entire team at Denny's is once again privileged to be a part of Florida Tour de Force, an incredible event to honor the servicemen and women who all have given the ultimate sacrifice," said Denise Gaines, senior manager of field marketing for Denny's. "For over two decades, Florida Tour de Force has provided us all with a way to support our local heroes and as members of these Florida communities, we are grateful to be a part of this year's ride."

"Since its inception, the goal of Florida Tour de Force has always been to raise awareness of the sacrifice given by law enforcement personnel throughout Florida, and thanks to partners like Denny's, we've had the ability to increase our efforts year-after-year," said Rafael Florencio, Florida Tour de Force president.  "Sponsors like Denny's have demonstrated that they share our passion to build a stronger sense of community throughout all of Florida by supporting our local law enforcement and the families of these fallen heroes, and we can't thank them enough for their continued support."

Those interested in participating in this year's ride or supporting Tour de Force through an online donation can visit www.FloridaTourdeForce.org.  For more information and directions to participating Denny's restaurants, please visit www.dennys.com.

About Denny's Corp.
Denny's is one of America's largest full-service family restaurant chains, currently operating over 1,700 franchised, licensed and company-owned restaurants across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, New Zealand, Mexico, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Guam, the United Arab Emirates, Curaçao, El Salvador, the Philippines, Guatemala and the United Kingdom.  For further information on Denny's, including news releases, please visit the Denny's website at www.dennys.com or the brand's social channels via Facebook,Twitter,Tumblr,Instagram or YouTube.

SOURCE Denny's

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