Local teachers share in $1 Million National Donation from SONIC during Teacher Appreciation Month

Sonic® Drive-In, a longtime supporter of public school teachers through its Limeades for Learning® initiatives, celebrated Teacher Appreciation Month throughout the month of May with the third-annual #ThanksTeach social media campaign to recognize, celebrate and reward teachers. In addition to sharing inspiring stories of real teachers – and encouraging others to do the same with the hashtag #ThanksTeach – SONIC’s $1 million donation was shared among more than 5 thousand public school teachers across the country, with $4400 going to 22 teachers in the Topeka/Lawrence/Kansas City area.

SONIC said #ThanksTeach to each of the teachers with a $200 gift card to DonorsChoose.org, SONIC’s non-profit partner for Limeades for Learning that inspires teachers to create innovative learning projects and request the materials or experiences they need most for their classrooms. Teachers can either apply the $200 SONIC donation to their own projects on DonorsChoose.org, or gift the donation to another deserving teacher.

For a full list of public schools where teachers received a $200 #ThanksTeach donation, visit bit.ly/2sf5c8k.

“At a time when teachers spend an average of $500 of their own money to supply their classrooms, we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Month by supporting more than 5,000 teachers in cities near SONIC Drive-ins. These teachers are our customers, they teach our crew members and they are an integral part of the communities in which we operate,” said Christi Woodworth, vice president of public relations for SONIC. “We’ve asked everyone to share #ThanksTeach on social media, and in turn SONIC is showing our gratitude with a $1 million donation to our partner DonorsChoose.org to impact 5,000 classrooms coast to coast.”

Everyone can get involved in #ThanksTeach by sharing stories on social media using photos, videos or a written message. Facebook fans can Smile to Say #ThanksTeach via a Facebook augmented reality (AR) camera effect that springs to life when the user smiles into the camera on their mobile phone, creating a video or photo that can be easily shared on the platform. Search the hashtag #ThanksTeach to see real teacher stories shared by SONIC and others during Teacher Appreciation Month.

To learn more about Limeades for Learning and #ThanksTeach, visit Limeades for Learning® and explore public school teacher projects in the Topeka community in need of support.

SONIC, America’s Drive-In is the nation’s largest drive-in restaurant chain serving approximately 3 million customers every day. Nearly 94 percent of SONIC’s 3,500 drive-in locations are owned and operated by local business men and women. For 65 years, SONIC has delighted guests with signature menu items, 1.3 million drink combinations and friendly service by iconic Carhops. Since the 2009 launch of SONIC’s Limeades for Learning philanthropic campaign in partnership with DonorsChoose.org, SONIC has donated $10.7 million to public school teachers nationwide to fund essential learning materials and innovative teaching resources to inspire creativity and learning in their students. To learn more about Sonic Corp.(NASDAQ/NM: SONC), please visit sonicdrivein.com and please visit or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. To learn more about SONIC’s Limeades for Learning initiative, please visit Limeades for Learning®.

Founded in 2000 by a Bronx history teacher, DonorsChoose.org has raised $683,614,142 for America’s classrooms. Teachers come to DonorsChoose.org to request the materials and experiences they need most for their classrooms, and donors give to the projects that inspire them. To date, 3,110,293 people and partners have funded 1,153,551 projects on the site, reaching 27,834,415 students and making DonorsChoose.org the leading platform for supporting U.S. public schools. DonorsChoose.org is the only crowdfunding platform that vets each request, delivers materials directly to schools, and captures the impact of every funded project with photos, thank yous, and a cost report showing how each dollar was spent. In 2014, DonorsChoose.org made the top 10 of Fast Company’s list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies, the first time a charity has received such recognition.

Topeka’s hockey team is now the Pilots