Dreyer's/Edy's® Slow Churned® Light Ice Cream and Brooke Burke Give Away More Than 25,000 Scoops of Ice Cream to Benefit Operation Smile

OAKLAND, Calif., June 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Dreyer's/Edy's Slow Churned Light Ice Cream kicks off a summer-long initiative to give ice cream lovers everywhere another reason to smile.  As if more than 25,000 free scoops of delicious ice cream with half the fat and one-third fewer calories than regular ice cream wasn't enough of a reason to elicit a grin, for every "ice cream smile" photo captured and uploaded to the Dreyer's/Edy's Facebook page, $5 will be donated to Operation Smile, an international children's medical charity.  The brand's goal is to capture 25,000 photos before the end of the summer, which will enable Operation Smile to provide more than 500 reconstructive surgeries for children around the globe suffering from cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities.  Joined by TV personality, businesswoman and longtime Operation Smile supporter Brooke Burke, the light ice cream brand will be at The Grove in Los Angeles today to pass out its very first scoops. 

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120606/SF19821)

"For nearly a century, our brand has been on a simple mission to inspire a smile," Jill Shoemaker, Vice President, Marketing, Dreyer's/Edy's Slow Churned said.  "This summer is no exception as we travel across the country, reminding consumers of the delicious taste of our better-for-you ice cream, while working hard to gift 500 cleft surgeries to children in need.  From too good to do good, this summer ice cream lovers really can have it all!"

"Every three minutes a child is born with a cleft — often, they are unable to eat, speak, socialize or smile.  At Operation Smile, we are dedicated to restoring the gift of a smile by providing healthcare evaluations and free surgeries around the world for children in need," Lisa Jardanhazy, Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Cause Marketing at Operation Smile, said.  "We are so thrilled that Dreyer's/Edy's Slow Churned will be supporting us this year.  Their brand mission could not be more in line with what we do every single day - talk about a reason to smile!"

Spreading Smiles, from Coast to Coast
To kick off the celebration, the Slow Churned brand is teaming up with Brooke Burke to officially hand out the first scoop of ice cream and capture the first ice cream smile at The Grove, in Los Angeles.  Throughout the day, Burke will join Dreyer's/Edy's to give away scoops and encourage fans to take their photo in the Slow Churned photo booth, where smiles will be automatically uploaded to the Dreyer's/Edy's Facebook page. 

From there, Dreyer's/Edy's will travel across the country, stopping by festivals, fairs and favorite family hang outs, giving away scoops of Slow Churned and capturing the smiles that appear when people take their very first bite.  Join us for the fun at the following locations:    

• June 6: The Grove, Los Angeles, CA
• July 2 – 4:  America's Freedom Festival, Provo, UT
• July 3 – 4:  U.S. National Whitewater Center, Charlotte, NC
• August 2: The Slow Churned SocialLuxe Lounge, New York, NY  
• August 10 – 12: Denver County Fair, Denver, CO

The 25,000 scoop giveaway doesn't stop there.  For those unable to stop by one of the local market events, beginning today, Slow Churned also is inviting consumers to log on to Facebook.com/DreyersIceCream or Facebook.com/EdysIceCream for a free full-value product coupon, redeemable at all participating retail accounts.  

All summer long, consumers are invited to "give a smile" on the Facebook page, and for every photo submitted, $5 will be donated to Operation Smile.  Ten lucky smiles will be featured in a Slow Churned print ad, and one lucky picture will win a coveted spot on the cartons of a Slow Churned limited-edition flavor, being re-introduced to store shelves in early 2013.

The brand will donate $5 to Operation Smile for every photo uploaded, up to $125,000. The campaign will run through August 31, 2012.

About Dreyer's Slow Churned Light Ice Cream
Dreyer's/Edy's Slow Churned Light Ice Cream has all the creamy taste of regular ice cream, but with half the fat and one-third fewer calories than regular ice cream.  Available in more than 20 iconic ice cream flavors – from Mint Chocolate Chip to Rocky Road – Slow Churned is quickly becoming a better-for-you, family favorite, found in freezers across the country.

For more information about "A Reason to Smile" or Dreyer's/Edy's Slow Churned Light Ice Cream, please visit http://www.facebook.com/dreyersicecream or http://www.facebook.com/edysicecream.  Are you ready to smile this summer?  Join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram at #ReasontoSmile.  

Nestle Dreyer's Ice Cream Company, the Dreyers/Edys brand and the "Reason to Smile" application are in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook^®.    

About Nestle Dreyer's Ice Cream
Nestle Dreyer's Ice Cream Company is part of Nestle USA, and is owned by Nestle S.A. of Vevey, Switzerland, the world's largest nutrition, health and wellness company.  Nestle Dreyer's Ice Cream Company manufactures, markets and distributes a full spectrum of ice cream and frozen snacks.  The company's premium products are marketed under the Dreyer's brand name throughout the Western states and Texas, and under the Edy's^® brand name throughout the remainder of the United States.  Brands manufactured or distributed in the United States include Dreyer's/Edy's^® Grand, Slow Churned^®, Dibs^®, MAXX, Fruit Bars, Nestle Crunch^®, Drumstick^®, Butterfinger^®, Toll House^®, Push-Up^®, Frosty Paws^®, Eskimo Pie^®, Skinny Cow^® and Haagen-Dazs^®.  Internationally, the Dreyer's brand extends to select markets in the Far East and the Edy's brand extends to the Caribbean and South America.  For more information on the company, please visit www.nestleusa.com.

In the U.S., the Haagen-Dazs trademark is licensed to Nestle by General Mills.

About Operation Smile
Operation Smile, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, is an international children's medical charity that works in more than 60 countries. More than 5,000 medical volunteers from over 80 countries volunteer with Operation Smile to help improve the health and lives of children. Since its founding in 1982, Operation Smile has provided more than 2 million healthcare evaluations and conducted over 200,000 free surgeries for children and young adults born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities, as well as patients suffering from burns. To build long-term self-sufficiency in developing countries, Operation Smile trains doctors and local medical professionals in its partner countries so they are empowered to treat their own local communities, donates medical equipment, and provides year-round medical treatment through Comprehensive Care Centers.  For more information, please visit www.operationsmile.org.

SOURCE Nestle Dreyer's Ice Cream