Wienerschnitzel Helps to Raise $125,000 for The Literacy Project

Wienerschnitzel is proud to announce that $125,000 was raised at the annual fundraising gala for the company’s marquee charity partner, The Literacy Project (TLP), a non-profit organization dedicated to enabling disadvantaged youth to increase their reading skill levels. Wienerschnitzel was honored as the presenting sponsor of the 6th annual “What Dreams Are Made Of” gala for its commitments and generous contributions to the organization and its cause.

“Aligning with The Literacy Project has been an honor for Wienerschnitzel, as we take great pride in helping to better the lives of these children,” said Cindy Galardi Culpepper, Chairman and CEO of Wienerschnitzel. “Without reading skills, which are vital to a child’s advancement, we could very well be missing out on the development of our future great leaders. We look forward to achieving much more with The Literacy Project.”

At the helm, Culpepper makes the company’s charitable giving efforts a priority and is committed to giving back to the communities that each of Wienerschnitzel’s 330 restaurants across the U.S. serves. As a board member 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.

“Since our inception, Wienerschnitzel has enabled hundreds of at-risk students to receive our reading program at ‘no cost’ and drastically improve their skill levels,” said Sue Grant, Founder & CEO of The Literacy Project. “It is companies like Wienerschnitzel and CEOs like Cindy Galardi Culpepper that truly improve the lives of children who are not afforded an enriching education. We can’t thank the entire company enough for giving the gift of literacy!”

About Galardi Group, Inc.
Founded by John Galardi in 1961 with a single hot dog stand in Wilmington, California, Wienerschnitzel (www.wienerschnitzel.com) is a bona fide pioneer of the limited-service food industry. Today, Wienerschnitzel is the world’s largest hot dog chain and home of America’s favorite Chili Dog. Based in Irvine, California, the parent company, Galardi Group, franchises restaurants throughout the U.S., including Wienerschnitzel, Hamburger Stand, and Tastee Freez. An iconic American brand with a devoted following for over 50 years, Wienerschnitzel is poised for exponential growth, both domestically and internationally. With a refreshed marketing focus, Wienerschnitzel has received tremendous media attention and accolades including Franchise Times’ “20 to Watch” and voted Best Fast Food in Southern California by the readers of Los Angeles Daily News for five years and running. Additionally, the company recently introduced a unique next generation store design featuring a smaller footprint and a lower cost of entry; while the simple menu allows for easy execution and lower food costs. As a family owned and operated company, Wienerschnitzel is in a unique position to always put its franchise partners first and is actively recruiting passionate franchise candidates to grow with the brand during this very exciting time. For more information on the company, visit www.wienerschnitzel.com. To learn about owning a Wienerschnitzel, visit www.franchising.wienerschnitzel.com or contact Ted Milburn – Director, Franchise Development at franchising@wienerschnitzel.com.

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 literacyprojectfoundation.org.