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To promote Dr. King’s
Legacy of Community Service!
What is this campaign
about?
Denny’s (company restaurants and participating franchise restaurants) have
launched a national fundraising initiative dedicated to promoting
community service and interracial cooperation. To help re-ignite Martin
Luther King, Jr.’s dream of equality and justice for everyone, Denny’s
will raise $1 million to support the work and mission of The Martin Luther
King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc. (The King Center) in
2003.
Most of us know that
Dr. King stood for nonviolent social change, equality and justice. Many
of us do not know Dr. King’s teachings on serving one another. It is our
hope to rekindle his thinking and his words in the minds of the American
people so that we make serving one another, serving our neighborhoods and
communities a way of life. We hope this campaign will “re- ignite” these
values among the American people.
What is the
length of the campaign?
The campaign will begin
January 8, 2003 and end
December 31, 2003.
Why The King
Center?
The King Center
has a number of long-standing community partnerships, especially in the
area of community service. At the national level, the King Center
partners with the Corporation for National and Community Service, to
provide a toolkit to organizations on how to organize community service
projects and to promote community service and interracial cooperation on
the King Holiday Observance nationwide—making the King Holiday truly “A
Day ON . . . Not A Day OFF”. In addition, The King Center partners with
Youth Service America, a nonprofit organization that serves as a resource
center for and premier alliance of over 300+ organizations committed to
making service a way of life for youth. The focus of this partnership is
to influence youth culture, by instilling the need for social
responsibility through Dr. King’s teachings, and to provide a vast
database of service projects nationwide for members of the engaged public
to reference. What we found, is that The King Center has been operating
on a shoestring budget for a number of years, which created capacity
issues that limited its impact. This is where Denny’s, with the help of
the American people, can make the difference. This campaign will help
address The Center’s capacity issues.
Is this an
African American focused campaign?
No, this campaign is for anyone interested in furthering
the cause of human and civil rights. As a part of Denny's everyday
customer-focused philosophy to make a conscious effort to reach out to
Americans of all races, Denny's is strongly committed to fair and
equitable treatment for all and demonstrates this not only in word, but
also in deed through this national campaign.
A nationwide poll of U.S. adults in 2001 revealed that Dr. King ranked
second only to Jesus Christ as one of America's favorite heroes. Dr.
King’s messages are not restricted to any one group. His message, which
we’ve made our message, is to all Americans: “Do you want to be
great – wonderful! But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall
be your servant … everybody can be great because everybody can serve.”
What is the
fundraising goal?
The fundraising goal is at least $1 million.
Why is The
King Center partnering with Denny’s?
The King
Center embraces change. Denny's continues to demonstrate that they
have embraced diversity - externally and internally. Denny’s has
been named by Fortune magazine as “The Best Company in
America
for Minorities” for two consecutive years. Additionally, this is a prime
opportunity for The King Center to expand its efforts and educate
thousands of people, of all races, creeds and ethnicity about the legacy
of Dr. King. Equally important to The King Center is the national exposure
and recognition it promises to generate through this nationwide campaign.
How can
individuals contribute?
By ordering an All-American Slam breakfast at participating Denny's
restaurants (20 cents from the sale of each All-American Slam will benefit
The King Center); by calling 1-866-4-ADREAM; or by securely donating
online:
Who to contact
The King
Center
Communications Department
(404) 526-8900
Denny’s Community Relations Dept.
(864) 597-7277
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