April 16, 2009 (Toronto) – Pizza Pizza and Pizza 73 are getting the dough ready for a special fundraiser and promotional recipe that will benefit children’s hospitals across Canada. The Slices for Smiles campaign, which runs from April 27 to May 3 in more than 430 participating Pizza Pizza and Pizza 73 locations, is expected to play a significant part in raising more than $100,000 for the Slices for Smiles Foundation this year, which in turn will donate the funds to Children’s Miracle Network.
For one week, customers can enjoy hot and freshly made pizza at a discounted price with a percentage of the proceeds going directly to the Slices for Smiles Foundation. This is the first time Pizza Pizza and Pizza 73 have offered the program to customers in western Canada.
Pizza Pizza locations, in addition to providing value menu offerings, will also be employing several other fundraising channels, including donation options for online and call centre orders, the sale of Children’s Miracle Network balloons in-store with bounce back offers to consumers and coin donation boxes. Children’s Miracle Network is confident Canadians will show a healthy and generous appetite for the campaign’s deals and the ease with which they can give back to their local children’s hospital.
“One in four children in Canada will visit a children’s hospital every year,” said John Hartman, chief international officer for Children’s Miracle Network. “We and our member hospitals are grateful for Pizza Pizza and Pizza 73’s commitment to helping raise much-needed funds for sick and injured children across the country.”
As part of the week-long event, all traditional Pizza Pizza restaurants in Canada will be offering cheese slices to consumers for $1.75, and medium cheese or pepperoni pizzas to walk-in customers for $5.
Twenty-five cents from the sale of each slice and 50 cents from the sale of each medium pizza will be donated to Children’s Miracle Network through the Slices for Smiles Foundation. Customers looking to purchase four or more medium pizzas can pre-order through the call centre for pick-up.
In western Canada, Pizza 73 customers will have the opportunity to purchase 9 inch pepperoni pizzas for a special walk-in price of $4.99, with 50 cents of each sale going toward the campaign along with the option to add a donation to online orders.
“Slices for Smiles is based on the simple foundation that children love pizza,” said Pat Finelli, chief marketing officer for Pizza Pizza and Pizza 73. “We started the program in 2007 to celebrate our 40th anniversary. Since then, we’ve grown a fair bit with expansion in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Quebec – so we’re excited to add new features and additional days to our fundraiser while broadening our support of hospitals across Canada.”
The monies raised will go toward providing state-of-the-art care, purchasing specialized equipment, supporting preventative education programs and pediatric research for Children’s Miracle Network member hospitals in Canada.
The Slices for Smiles Foundation has raised more than $200,000 for children’s charities since Pizza Pizza first introduced the program in October 2007.
About Children’s Miracle Network
Children’s Miracle Network is an international non-profit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for children’s hospitals. Each year, the 170 Children’s Miracle Network hospitals – 14 of which are in Canada – provide the finest medical care, life-saving research and preventive education to help millions of kids overcome diseases and injuries of every kind. To learn more, go to:
childrensmiraclenetwork.ca.
About Pizza Pizza and Pizza 73
Founded in 1967, Pizza Pizza is an industry pioneer and Canada’s number one pizza chain. With the 2007 acquisition of Pizza 73, a leader in western Canada since 1985, Pizza Pizza operates more than 600 traditional and non-traditional restaurants coast to coast. Pizza Pizza has introduced numerous innovations such as whole-wheat, multi-grain dough, a gluten-free crust and the elimination of industrially-added trans fats from all menu items. Through the years, the company has been a loyal supporter of community groups, helping to organize fundraisers, sponsoring events and supporting local projects at the corporate and franchise level.
