SoCal Wienerschnitzel Franchisees Donate $50k to The Literacy Project

Wienerschnitzel, the world’s largest hot dog franchise, is proud to announce that its franchisees operating in Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties have donated $50,000 to benefit The Literacy Project (TLP), a non-profit organization dedicated to enabling at-risk and disadvantaged youth to increase their reading skill levels and to become self-sufficient, productive and contributing members of our society. Inspired by Wienerschnitzel corporate’s involvement with TLP, participating store owners banded together to donate a percentage of sales from each combo meal sold throughout 2015-2016.

“Charitable giving is a huge priority for Wienerschnitzel on a corporate level, and we are beyond proud to be joined by our franchisees who are just as committed to making a difference in the communities we serve,” said Cindy Galardi Culpepper, CEO and Chairman for Wienerschnitzel. “Literacy is a vital tool for not just success, but survival; and we are privileged to play a role in this movement.”

At the organization’s 7th annual “What Dreams Are Made Of” Gala, where Wienerschnitzel was the presenting sponsor for the second year, Wienerschnitzel franchisees presented The Literacy Project with a $50,000 check, which will allow 500 disadvantaged youth to participate in the award-winning reading program. Culpepper also accepted a sponsorship award for Wienerschnitzel’s dedication and generous contributions to the organization and its cause.

“We were so inspired by what Wienerschnitzel has been doing with The Literacy Project that we were eager to help the cause and build awareness on a local level,” said Tom Trujillo, Wienerschnitzel franchisee and president of the Los Angeles Co-op. “The decision to become involved on a regional franchise level was unanimous, and we are honored to support the expansion of this much-needed program.”

As a Board of Director for TLP, Culpepper is an ambassador to the organization; raising awareness for the mission, garnering support to expand the successful reading program, and regularly visiting schools to participate in interactive reading activities.

“A longtime supporter of The Literacy Project, Wienerschnitzel has enabled thousands of at-risk students receive our reading program at no cost, and significantly improved their chances of a better life,” said Sue Grant, Founder & Board Chair of The Literacy Project. “Wienerschnitzel has used their public platform and shared their successes to aid the fight against illiteracy, and now their generous franchisees have joined our fight. We are forever grateful to the entire company for giving the gift of literacy and we look forward to changing many more lives together.”

About The Literacy Project
To date, The Literacy Project (TLP) has helped more than 3,700 struggling readers throughout Long Beach, Orange County, Los Angeles, and Coachella Valley school districts. TLP offers a comprehensive instructional reading program that improves both academic and attitudinal levels of students performing far below English proficiency standards. The academic segment utilizes a reading game, which was co-developed by The Regents of the University of California.  Aligned with Common Core and collaborative learning methods, TLP conducts 30 one-hour sessions, five days a week, during a six-week program cycle.  The program is administered by TLP’s Master Teachers who are highly credentialed as reading and language arts specialists.  The program is provided at “no cost” to both the school and at-risk students in the second grade. The program teaches the fundamental principles of phonics and literacy in all three learning modalities—auditory, visual and tactile—critical to children with varying learning styles. For more information, visit www.literacyprojectfoundation.org.