SONIC® Renews Commitment to Advancing Learning on Teacher Appreciation Week

OKLAHOMA CITY, May 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- To celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Week, SONIC®, America's Drive-In® thanks the thousands of teachers who help students learn every day and commits more than half a million dollars to teachers this year. Public school teachers spent more than $1.33 billion out of pocket on school supplies and instructional materials last school year according to the National School Supply and Equipment Association. SONIC is partnering with DonorsChoose.org for the third year to support public school classrooms and provide resources for teachers through its Limeades for Learning® program.

In the last two years SONIC and its franchisee partners donated more than $1.3 million and helped fund more than 3,100 public school teachers projects across the country. By October 2011, SONIC will have donated more than $2 million in supplies and learning materials to inspire learning and creativity in the classroom.

"Education and helping teachers and students succeed in the classroom has always been important to SONIC," said Clifford Hudson, chairman and chief executive officer for Sonic Corp. "Limeades for Learning has made a tremendous impact in local communities, however, our work is far from done. We look forward to helping more teachers this year and for many years to come."

Starting today, teachers can visit LimeadesForLearning.com to register their classroom project and learn more about Limeades for Learning and SONIC's partnership with DonorsChoose.org. Then, Aug. 29 through Oct. 2, anyone can go online to LimeadesForLearning.com and vote for their favorite public school teacher's classroom project.  SONIC will fund at least $100,000 toward projects with the most votes each Monday for five weeks during the campaign.

"Working with a community partner like SONIC allows DonorsChoose.org to reach even more teachers that need resources in their classrooms while also engaging more citizens in supporting our public schools," said Charles Best, founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org. "We're excited SONIC has committed to Limeades for Learning for a third year and we look forward to the tremendous impact it will have on teachers, students and SONIC customers."

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 serving approximately 3 million customers every day.  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 www.sonicdrivein.com. Through Limeades for Learning®, SONIC and its franchise partners have donated more than $1.3 million dollars to public school classrooms in local communities across the country. Visit www.limeadesforlearning.com to learn more about SONIC's commitment to education.

About DonorsChoose.org

Founded in 2000, DonorsChoose.org (www.donorschoose.org) engages the public in public schools by giving people a simple, accountable and personal way to address educational inequity. At the nonprofit website, public school teachers describe specific educational projects for their students, and donors can choose the projects they want to support. After completing a project, the donor hears back from the classroom they supported in the form of photographs and teacher thank-you letters. To date, 176,000 public and charter school teachers have used the site to secure funding for $82 million in books, art supplies, technology, and other resources that their students need to learn. Through DonorsChoose.org, individuals from all walks of life have helped 4.9 million students.

Contact:
Sarah Ferguson
816-423-6061
[email protected]

SOURCE SONIC, America's Drive-In