Wendy's® Father's Day Frosty Weekend Aims to Honor Dads by Raising $1.7 Million to Fund Adoptions

DUBLIN, Ohio, June 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- From now through Father's Day, a cool Frosty from Wendy's can help warm the hearts of thousands of children seeking adoptive families. Even "virtual" Frostys will do the trick!

The fifth annual Father’s Day Frosty Weekend will take place Saturday, June 18 and Father’s Day Sunday, June 19, when participating Wendy’s nationwide will donate 50-cents for every Frosty product sold to support Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, a signature program of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption which finds permanent adoptive families for children in foster care waiting to be adopted.

The fun – and fund-raising – begins now, as customers can honor dads while helping the cause of Wendy's Wonderful Kids in several other innovative ways. Now through Sunday, June 19, the following designated Treat it Forward social media interactions – on Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare – will result in additional 50-cent donations (to a total of $50,000) from Wendy's to benefit Wendy's Wonderful Kids. They include:

• Twitter – Use the Treat it Forward application on www.facebook.com/frosty (Treat it Fwd tab), or use the hashtag: #TreatItFwd. A donation will be made, by Wendy's, for each designated tweet or re-tweet made from Treat it Forward.  

• Facebook – Send a Facebook friend a "virtual" Frosty, or tell friends about Father's Day Frosty Weekend through the Facebook application found on www.facebook.com/frosty (Treat it Fwd tab); as a result, Wendy's will make a donation. Also, from Facebook, on Father's Day Weekend only (June 18 and 19), offer a "Here's to You, Dad!" Frosty "virtual toast" by snapping a photo of you raising your Frosty cup to Dad, tagging it with the words "Wendy's Father's Day Frosty Weekend" and posting it to Wendy's Facebook wall or tweeting it.  This, too, will result in a donation from Wendy's.

• Foursquare – Every person that 'checks-in' to a Wendy's during Father's Day Weekend only (June 18 and 19) will result in a donation from Wendy's.

Since its inception in 2007, Father’s Day Frosty Weekend has raised more than $6.2 million for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. This year, Wendy’s hopes to raise another $1.7 million, enough money to fund about 25 adoption recruiters who work through Wendy’s Wonderful Kids to find permanent homes for children who have waited too long – five years or more -- for a forever family.  To date, 2,206 children have been adopted through Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, and several thousand more are pending.

“Father’s Day Frosty Weekend has become a wonderful Wendy’s tradition that furthers the efforts of our founder, Dave Thomas, an adoptee who devoted his life to the needs of children in foster care,” said David Karam, president, Wendy’s International, Inc. “Sharing a Frosty and helping children in need -- what better ways to honor Dave and our dads on Father’s Day?”

Wendy’s and its customers donate millions of dollars annually to the Foundation in support of Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, a program that finds permanent adoptive families for children in foster care waiting to be adopted. Many are older children or those with special physical or emotional needs. 122 Wendy’s Wonderful Kids’ adoption recruiters are working throughout the U.S. and four provinces of Canada.

"Dave Thomas believed that every child should have the same chances he was given, and we are continuing that commitment with Wendy’s Wonderful Kids," says Rita Soronen, president and CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, "We are humbled by Wendy’s customers who are so committed to helping raise funds and awareness for the program – on Father’s Day Frosty Weekend and all year round.”

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/frosty.

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a national nonprofit 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to dramatically increasing the adoptions of the more than 150,000 children waiting in North America's foster care systems.  Created by Wendy's® founder, Dave Thomas, who was adopted, the Foundation implements results-driven national signature programs, foster care adoption awareness initiatives and research-based advocacy efforts. Our work aggressively moves children into adoptive homes, increases consideration of foster care adoption, and strengthens the families formed.  As the only foundation dedicated exclusively to foster care adoption, we are driven by Dave's simple value:  Do what's best for the child.  To learn more, visit www.DaveThomasFoundation.org or call 1-800-ASK-DTFA.

Wendy's International Overview

Wendy's International is one of the world's most successful restaurant operating and franchising companies with more than 6,500 restaurants worldwide. Wendy's is a member of Wendy's/Arby's Group Inc. (NYSE: WEN). More information is available at www.wendys.com, or www.wendysarbys.com.

SOURCE Wendy's