SONIC Drive-In Donates to Local Area Schools

America’s Drive-In once again supports local public schools across the country by donating $1.5 million for learning supplies

In May, SONIC^® Drive-In donated $1.5 million to help fund local education needs through DonorsChoose, a national nonprofit that allows individuals to donate directly to public school classroom requests submitted by teachers.

As part of SONIC’s ongoing Limeades for Learning initiative, the brand matched 50 percent of each donation made to teacher requests on DonorsChoose for Teacher Appreciation Day on May 3, donating a total of $1.5 million. With this donation, SONIC helped fully fund more than 9,000 projects from teachers across the country.

The following are among the exceptional teachers who received funding:

* In Fort Collins, Colorado, five exceptional teachers from three schools received a combined donation of $667.00 including:

• Jeanne Marri Choun at Blevins Middle School for the project Gratitude! 5-Year Journals for Grades 6-8
• Lorin Spangler at Harris Bilingual Immersion School for the project Fun With Letters and Syllables for Grades PreK-2
• Diane Sears at O’Dea Core Knowledge Elementary School for the project Organization Essentials for Grades PreK-2
• Jessica Finley at O’Dea Core Knowledge Elementary School for the project Dry Erase Table for Enhanced Learning! for Grades PreK-2
• Laura Haugen at O’Dea Core Knowledge Elementary School for the project Our Class Needs Sum Help! for Grades PreK-2* In Loveland, Colorado, five exceptional teachers from three schools received a combined donation of $635.00 including:
• Lindsay Nelson at Conrad Ball Middle School for the project Snips and Snail and… Frogs! for Grades 6-8
• Amy Maheras-Lopez at Thompson Valley High School for the project Spanish Classroom Library and Literacy Project for Grades 9-12
• Liza Bauer at Thompson Valley High School for the project Teen Top Ten Nominees! for Grades 9-12
• Amanda Myers at Walt Clark Middle School for the project Book Refresh for 8th Grade! for Grades 6-8
• Kimberly Hardouin at Walt Clark Middle School for the project Nice Notebooks Needed! for Grades 6-8

“Limeades for Learning is an initiative that SONIC holds dear, and we’re proud to partner with DonorsChoose on this important work,” said Lori Abou Habib, Chief Marketing Officer of SONIC. “Drink purchases at SONIC bring joy to our guests while supporting students and teachers in the classroom.”

SONIC donates a portion of drink proceeds to support local public schools through Limeades for Learning, in partnership with education nonprofit, DonorsChoose^*. SONIC has donated more than $20 million to directly fund local education programs since 2009.

For those wishing to make an additional donation to a classroom project in their local community, visit DonorsChoose.org and donate to one or more of the thousands of public school teacher requests seeking support to provide students with educational resources.

SONIC, founded in 1953, is the largest drive-in restaurant brand in the United States with more than 3,500 restaurants in 46 states. Served by SONIC’s iconic Carhops, the restaurant’s expansive, award-winning menu offers unique, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, and drink options for the whole family. SONIC is part of the Inspire Brands family of restaurants. For more information, visit SonicDriveIn.com and InspireBrands.com.

DonorsChoose is the leading way to give to public schools. Since 2000, 5.29 million people and partners have contributed $1.3 billion to support more than 2 million teacher requests for classroom resources and experiences. As the most trusted crowdfunding platform for teachers, donors, and district administrators alike, DonorsChoose vets each request, ships the funded resources directly to the classroom, and provides thank yous and reporting to donors and school leaders. Charity Navigator and GuideStar have awarded DonorsChoose, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, their highest ratings for transparency and accountability. For more information, visit DonorsChoose.org.

*SONIC donates one cent to nonprofit partner DonorsChoose for each cup sold at participating Drive-In locations, which is used to fund classroom needs submitted by teachers across the U.S. Plastic cups are excluded from the donation program.