(DALLAS) – Dallas-based Boston’s Restaurant & Sports Bar (Boston’s) raised $100,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF), the largest charitable funder and advocate of diabetes science worldwide, during its annual Valentine’s fundraiser to support the organization’s efforts in funding critical research toward finding a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications.
During the recent Valentine’s fundraiser, Boston’s restaurants across the United States sold 23,366 heart-shaped pizzas, 27,711 desserts and 42,777 paper hearts. An additional $6,146 was raised through local events held at various Boston’s locations. Boston’s donated all proceeds from the paper hearts and $1 from each food item sold to JDRF research.
“We are very grateful to our patrons, franchisees, and community leaders for their support in this endeavor,” said Mike Best, Boston’s chief operating officer. “With their help, we doubled the amount of paper hearts sold and more than tripled the funds raised for JDRF from last year. We look forward to continuing our partnership with JDRF and to setting a new fundraising record in 2011.”
This was the second year the Boston’s restaurant system in the U.S. partnered with JDRF to raise awareness and funding for the treatment and cure of type 1 diabetes. The Valentine’s fundraiser tradition began 11 years ago by its parent company, Boston Pizza in Canada. In 2009, the U.S. Boston’s Valentine’s promotion raised $31,041 for JDRF.
“The funds raised by Boston’s Pizza from this year’s fundraiser will go toward research that will affect millions of Americans with type 1 diabetes and their families,” said Courtney Davies, JDRF National Director, Corporate Relations. “We thank Boston’s for their continued support and all those who gave so generously to this cause.”
Fundraisers like Boston’s 2010 Valentine’s promotion support JDRF’s funding of progressive research towards cures on several scientific fronts, from regeneration and immune therapies to complications therapies and the pursuit of an artificial pancreas.
About Boston’s Restaurant & Sports Bar
Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Boston’s Restaurant & Sports Bar mirrors its sister company, Boston Pizza, the number one casual dining brand in Canada. Introduced in the U.S. in 1998, Boston’s Restaurant & Sports Bar is franchised by Boston Pizza Restaurants, L.P. Boston’s offers a contemporary, sit-down family dining atmosphere with a separate sports bar customized with local team memorabilia. The result is a fun, high-energy setting for families and sports enthusiasts alike. While Boston’s specializes in gourmet pizza and pasta, its menu features more than 100 items including salads, sandwiches, and a variety of sports bar favorites such as burgers, wings, and ribs. With annual system wide sales exceeding $800 million, Boston Pizza and Boston’s have more than 388 outlets throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Boston’s grows primarily through franchises and is scheduled to open six new restaurants in 2010. For more information, please visit www.bostons.com.
About JDRF
JDRF is the leader in research leading to a cure for type 1 diabetes in the world. It sets the global agenda for diabetes research, and is the largest charitable funder and advocate of diabetes science worldwide. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Type 1 diabetes is a disease which strikes children and adults suddenly and requires multiple injections of insulin daily or a continuous infusion of insulin through a pump. Insulin, however, is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating complications which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and amputation. Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than $1.4 billion to diabetes research, including more than $100 million in FY2009. For more information, please visit www.jdrf.org.
