Hardee's to Help Special Olympics Virginia Raise Funds for Athletes to Attend Summer Games

RICHMOND, VA--(Marketwired - Oct 14, 2016) - Hardee's^® restaurants operated by Boddie-Noell Enterprises across Virginia will join forces with the law enforcement community to raise awareness and funds to help Special Olympics athletes shine. Starting Monday, Oct. 17^th, Hardee's customers who pay $1 for a Star will receive a coupon sheet good for a $10 savings on specific Hardee's menu items.

The five-week fundraising campaign is slated to help more than 550 Special Olympics athletes participate in the 2017 edition of Summer Games. Last year, Hardee's across the state owned and operated by Boddie-Noell raised more than $97,640 for Special Olympics Virginia through the sale of Stars. This year's campaign runs through Nov. 20.

Boddie-Noell Enterprises, the largest Hardee's franchise operator in the United States, has been partners with the Special Olympics Virginia for 36 years, contributing in excess of $1.5 million to the organization over that time. Boddie-Noell owns and operates all 176 Hardee's franchise restaurants across Virginia.

This year's in-store campaign theme is "Flame of Hope. Keep it Bright!" The campaign will be supported by law enforcement officers who will run a lighted torch across the state to build awareness of this year's Special Olympics Virginia Summer Games.

"For many of our athletes, Special Olympics is their world. Purchasing a star provides a source of hope and light for children and adults who experience a great deal of loneliness and rejection," said Rick Jeffrey, president of Special Olympics Virginia. "We thank longtime partners like Boddie-Noell for supporting the extraordinary efforts of our law enforcement volunteers and our champion athletes in Virginia."

"We're excited to continue our annual support of Special Olympics Virginia as we and our loyal customers have done for over three decades," said Terry Lewis, president of Boddie-Noell's Hardee's Restaurant Operations and a board member of Special Olympics Virginia. "The role of Special Olympics across Virginia is special and our customers have always stepped forward with contributions at our Hardee's locations year after year. We hope to make 2016 the most successful fundraiser to date."

In addition to the 2016 Fall fundraiser, in 2017 Boddie-Noell will become the newest Presenting sponsor of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Virginia as well as a Presenting sponsor of the Summer Games in mid-June.

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with and without intellectual disabilities. Participation provides them with continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a

sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

To learn more about the Special Olympics Virginia visit www.specialolympicsva.org.

About Boddie-Noell Enterprises
Family owned Boddie-Noell Enterprises (BNE) has been a Hardee's franchise operator continuously for more than 50 years. Today BNE is the largest Hardee's franchisee in the United States with 338 restaurants across four states (Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky and South Carolina). The company employs more than 10,000 people and is headquartered in Rocky Mount, N.C. For more information about the company, visit www.bneinc.com.

About Special Olympics
Special Olympics Virginia is an accredited state program of Special Olympics Incorporated. There are about 140,000 people in Virginia with intellectual disabilities and about 8 million without. Our goal is to reach out to every one of them. In the coming years, our strategy places greater emphasis on uniting youth with and without disabilities. We will also create opportunities for families, teachers, businesses, law enforcement, celebrities, dignitaries and others to band together to change attitudes and support our athletes. Our vision is to inspire the First Unified Generation. Engage with us on Twitter @solympicsva; fb.com/specialolympicsvirginia; and youtube.com/specialolympicsva.