Children's Miracle Network Announces New Partnership With Auntie Anne's Hand-Rolled Soft Pretzels®

Children's Miracle Network
Wednesday, 1 March 2000

World's Most Popular Pretzel Franchise To Help Children's Hospitals Through National And Local Fund Raising Campaign

Lancaster, PA. (Mar. 1)–Children's Miracle Network representatives, attending a convention of Auntie Anne's store owners here, announced today that the world's most popular pretzel franchise has agreed to help children in 170 children's hospitals with a system-wide fund raising campaign.

The campaign, which initially includes counter-top coin canisters and the sale of paper "Miracle Balloons," kicked off at the convention and will continue through April 2000. Store owners will be encouraged to conduct additional fund raising at other times of the year using a variety of ideas provided by Children's Miracle Network.

"The 14 million children treated in Children's Miracle Network-affiliated hospitals have found a new friend today," said Val Durrant, managing director of corporate development for Children's Miracle Network. "Auntie Anne [Beiler] has built an incredibly successful business on strong family values and by helping other people," he said of the company's founder and CEO. "It's true that business can do well by doing good."

The decision to partner with Children's Miracle Network is consistent with the business practices of Auntie Anne's, which began as a way to help finance a family counseling service in 1988. More than 12 years and 600 Auntie Anne's outlets later, the company continues to fund many worthy charitable activities.

"I learned growing up the simple principle of being nice to each other–the golden rule of treating other people the way you would like to be treated–and I've continued to practice that principle in selling pretzels" said Beiler. "I think we're operating under a different set of rules in our business," she said. "It's not old fashioned; it's not obsolete. It works today."

The total amount of funds raised by Auntie Anne's will be announced and the company will be recognized for its efforts on the June 3-4 broadcast of CMN Champions from Walt Disney World (check local listings for air times).

About Children's Miracle Network

Children's Miracle Network is an international non-profit organization dedicated to helping children by raising funds for 170 affiliated children's hospitals. Each year, these hospitals help 14 million kids afflicted with injuries and illnesses of every kind, including, cancer, AIDS, birth defects, and trauma. In fact, CMN children's hospitals collectively help more kids each year than any other organization.

For more information, or to contact Children's Miracle Network, see their website at: www.cmn.org