Studio Movie Grill Continues To Help The Local Glendale Community Through Special Screenings

GLENDALE, Calif., Nov. 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Studio Movie Grill (SMG) announced today that on November 30^th, it will kick off its legacy Special Needs Screening Program in participation with the Special Needs Network at its new Glendale location with FROZEN 2. SMG's Special Needs Screenings are designed for families raising children with special needs. These film showings are played with the lights up and the volume lowered, and children are free to move around, talk, or even dance in the aisles during the movie. The sensory friendly screenings are free for children with special needs and their siblings while adult tickets are offered at before-noon price.

To celebrate the launch of these community screenings, Variety the Children's Charity of Southern California, the beneficiary of SMG's Chefs for Children program in SoCal, will donate six adaptive bikes to local families in need. These adaptive bikes are specifically designed for people with physical and developmental disabilities. They offer an enhanced sense of freedom and mobility to those with Autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and more. In October along with the SMG Downey team, Variety the Children's Charity of Southern California donated four adaptive bikes to local families with special needs children. SMG also supports Variety's Gold Pin and Passport fundraising programs.

"Our Special Needs Screenings allow families raising children with special needs to enjoy a stress-free fun family outing at a reduced cost," said Brian Schultz, SMG Founder & CEO. "SMG is proud to partner with nonprofit organizations like Variety the Children's Charity and help the local Glendale community by providing adaptive bikes to families raising children with special needs. Riding a bike is a rite of passage for many kids growing up and there is nothing better than seeing the smile on a child's face who thought they would never been able to ride a bike on their own."

To celebrate the November 22 opening of the Sony Pictures film A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, starring Tom Hanks and based on the real-life friendship between journalist Tom Junod and television star Fred Rogers, SMG has launched the "Nominate your Neighbor" outreach campaign. The company believes it only takes one person to inspire a world of kindness. In keeping with the sentiment of the movie, SMG is encouraging people to nominate a neighborhood hero who has made their community a beautiful place to live. To participate, simply submit an essay by December 18, 2019 explaining why your nominee is inspiring — tell us about the impact they've had on you and their community, and how they've opened hearts and minds with their efforts. One winner will be selected to receive a $250 Studio Movie Grill gift card and a $1,000 donation will be made to the charity of the winner's choice. 

Some of the other notable outreach activities SMG theaters in Southern California have offered include a November 11th Veterans Day Movies + Meals screening of MIDWAY in partnership with Lionsgate for Veterans in Entertainment, a Movies + Meals fundraising screening of PLAYING WITH FIRE in partnership with Paramount in aid of a local Glendale firefighter and free tickets were offered to local patrons in Simi Valley at SMG Simi Valley after recently reopening due to the fires.

In keeping with its mission to open hearts and minds, one story at a time, SMG launched SMG Access^TM nationwide last summer as the only theater loyalty program focused on positively impacting underserved local community members. Through their purchases, along with rewards, loyal SMG guests are able to assist SMG in offering movies and meals to local non-profits and community members with the hope of harnessing the power of movies to inspire and change lives. Since the program's inception, multiple studios have joined the movement and SMG will exceed 17,000 Movies + Meals in the program's first year.

About Studio Movie Grill

Established in 1998, Studio Movie Grill ("SMG") modernized the traditional movie-going experience by combining first-run movies with full-service, in-theater dining. SMG has swiftly grown to 333 screens in 10 states with further expansion planned.  SMG was named to Inc. Magazine's List of "Fastest Growing Private Companies" three years in a row, placed 12^th in Box Office Magazine's Giants of the Industry in 2018 with key films grossing as high as #4 in North America. Honoring its commitment to Opening Hearts and Minds, One Story at a Time™, SMG's legacy programs include Special Needs Screenings, Chefs for Children, which has donated over $1Million to local non-profits serving special needs families and annually awarding its Opening Hearts and Minds Awards externally and internally to those that have made a positive impact on their local communities or teams. In June 2018, SMG created a unique loyalty program, SMG Access^TM which, as loyal guests earn rewards, allows them to join SMG in offering movies and meals for underserved community members. To date, this program has offered over 17,000 movies and meals and is aiming for a million! For additional information, visit studiomoviegrill.com.

SOURCE Studio Movie Grill

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