Sylvan Learning and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Team Up to Provide Treats for Teachers, Raise Funds for Classroom Projects

BALTIMORE, April 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week from May 6-10, 2013, Sylvan Learning and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory have joined forces on two initiatives that celebrate teachers and reward their efforts in meaningful ways.

Book Adventure Teacher Appreciation Reading Contest – For the past decade, Corporate and franchised Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores have been donating free chocolate prizes to members of Sylvan Learning's BookAdventure.com, a free online program that motivates children in grades K-8 to develop a love of reading.

To celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory will provide additional chocolate prizes for a special Book Adventure Teacher Appreciation Reading Contest that not only helps children enhance their reading skills, but also allows them to earn sweet treats for their favorite teachers. The contest runs until May 1.

Project Thank You - In a second new initiative, Sylvan and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory have created Project Thank You, a joint, three-week online initiative aimed at raising funds for teachers nationwide through DonorsChoose.org, a website where teachers from across the country solicit donations to pay for classroom projects.

For each of the three weeks leading up to Teacher Appreciation Week—May 6 to May 10—Sylvan and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory will create and promote a DonorsChoose.org "Giving Page" featuring one of three categories of classroom projects in need of funding—Art & Music, Math & Science, and Literacy & Language.

The companies' friends and followers will be able to vote for their favorite classroom projects in that week's category on the Sylvan Learning and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory corporate Facebook pages.

Each week the partners will donate funding to the five projects in that week's category that receive the most votes from fans. The companies will donate up to a combined goal amount of $5,000 to the winning classroom projects. Sylvan and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory will announce all the winners on May 10 at the end of Teacher Appreciation Week.

Throughout the course of the initiative, Sylvan Learning and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory will also conduct an extensive nationwide social media and email campaign to support DonorsChoose.org and to promote their joint fundraising effort. Both companies will work to raise awareness of DonorsChoose.org and the fundraising campaign through all social media channels.

"Social media and online fundraising sites like DonorsChoose.org offer an excellent way to increase awareness and solicit much-needed resources for today's classrooms," said Julia Fitzgerald, chief marketing officer, Sylvan Learning. "Every day, teachers across the country dig into their own pockets to pay for the classroom supplies they need to ensure their students receive the best possible education. Project Thank You provides Sylvan and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory—and the broader community—with the opportunity to show our gratitude in a way that really makes a difference."

"Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is excited to work with Sylvan Learning to help teachers get the resources they need to educate children across a wide range of academic subjects," said Edward Dudley, senior vice president of sales and marketing. "We have partnered with Sylvan for over 10 years in providing chocolate prizes for other learning initiatives. Now we are especially pleased to be able to 'sweeten the deal' by partnering in an effort that also provides much-needed funding to classrooms across the country."

Follow us:

Facebook:  Project Thank You 
Twitter:  #ProjectThankYou

For additional information and educational resources, visit us on the web at www.sylvanlearning.com or call 1-800-31-SUCCESS.

About Sylvan Learning
Sylvan Learning is the leading provider of tutoring to students of all ages, grades and skill levels with over 30 years of experience and more than 800 centers located throughout North America. Sylvan's trained and Sylvan-certified personal instructors provide individualized instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, study skills and test-prep for college entrance and state exams. For more information, call 1-800-31-SUCCESS or visit www.SylvanLearning.com.

About Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc. is an international franchisor of gourmet chocolate and confection stores and a manufacturer of an extensive line of premium chocolates and other confectionery products. The Company's majority-owned subsidiary, U-Swirl, Inc. (OTCQB: SWRL), is a franchisor and operator of self-serve frozen yogurt stores.  As of March 31, 2013, the Company, its subsidiary and its franchisees operated 428 Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and self-serve yogurt stores in 42 states, Canada, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. 

The Company is headquartered in Durango, Colorado, and its common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol "RMCF."  The common stock of U-Swirl, Inc. trades on the OTCQB under the symbol "SWRL".

SOURCE Sylvan Learning