Recently, CKE received an award from the International Franchise Association for supporting men and women in uniform thru our annual Stars for Heroes fundraising campaign which has raised more than $3.5 million since 2011. We’re proud to support worthwhile initiatives like this one. It’s the right thing to do.
I accepted the award on behalf of our company and our Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s franchisees who partner with us to raise the money in our restaurants. Robert Pence, a board member with the Gary Sinise Foundation, which we supported with a contribution earlier this year, also joined me on stage during the Franchising Gives Back Awards presentation.
The real heroes, however, were Captain Luis Avila and his wife Claudia. Both joined us during the dinner and I’m deeply honored to have met them. While I’m happy with our fundraising campaign’s accomplishments to date, the truth is we can never do enough to thank those who fight for our freedoms and who go to great lengths to protect our way of life. We breathe freely because they freely choose to fight for what this nation stands for. At CKE, we are always grateful for that. Keep up the great and compassionate work @GarySinise because it’s making a difference in the lives of people like Captain Avila and his family.