SAN DIEGO, CA - 3 October, 2005 -

Carl's Jr.(R) (NYSE: CKR) restaurant franchisees announced today that they will present the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) with a check for $175,000 Thursday evening to mark the conclusion of a donation program launched in May 2005. The donation, which will be formally presented at the Star Franchise Association's annual awards dinner on Oct. 6, represents funds raised during the franchise association's first annual "Pink Star" charity promotion, which was held in more than 390 Carl's Jr. restaurants across the western United States. Restaurant guests were encouraged to donate $1 to the NBCF when placing their order at the register. As a thank-you for the donation, these guests received a personalized pink Happy Star(TM) to put on display in the lobby and a coupon redeemable for a free beverage on a future visit. "It was encouraging for us to see how excited our employees and guests were to raise money in support of the National Breast Cancer Foundation," said Dan Gjurgevich, president of the Star Franchise Association. "Our goal was to sell 200 stars per unit and we more than doubled that. This promotion has shown us what we can do as a group of individual business owners when we work together for a common cause." The NBCF mission is to save lives by increasing awareness of breast cancer through education and by providing mammograms to women in need. A majority of the funds received at the check presentation Thursday evening will be dedicated to clinics in East Los Angeles and San Diego. "The National Breast Cancer Foundation is grateful and thankful for the generosity of the Carl's Jr. franchisees. We are amazed at the size of the gift. There will be women alive this time next year because of your efforts," said Neal Hail, chief operating officer of the Foundation. According to the NBCF, more than 200,000 women in America will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year -- and one fifth of those will die from the disease. One woman in eight has or will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. In addition, more than 1,000 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year; the disease will claim nearly half diagnosed. If detected early, the five-year survival rate exceeds 95 percent. Mammograms are among the best early-detection methods, yet 13 million American women over the age of 40 have never had a mammogram. For more information about the disease, early detection, and ways you can help, visit the NBCF Web site at www.nationalbreastcancer.org

This article has been read 923 times .