BALTIMORE, April 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In
celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week from May 6-10, 2013, Sylvan Learning and Rocky
Mountain Chocolate Factory have joined forces on two initiatives
that celebrate teachers and reward their efforts in meaningful
ways.
Book Adventure Teacher Appreciation Reading Contest
– For the past decade, Corporate and franchised Rocky
Mountain Chocolate Factory stores have been donating free chocolate
prizes to members of Sylvan Learning's BookAdventure.com, a free
online program that motivates children in grades K-8 to develop a
love of reading.
To celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, Rocky Mountain Chocolate
Factory will provide additional chocolate prizes for a special Book
Adventure Teacher Appreciation Reading Contest that not only helps
children enhance their reading skills, but also allows them to earn
sweet treats for their favorite teachers. The contest runs until
May 1.
Project Thank You - In a second new
initiative, Sylvan and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory have
created Project Thank You, a joint, three-week online
initiative aimed at raising funds for teachers nationwide through
DonorsChoose.org, a website where teachers from across the country
solicit donations to pay for classroom projects.
For each of the three weeks leading up to Teacher Appreciation
Week—May 6 to May 10—Sylvan and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
will create and promote a DonorsChoose.org "Giving Page" featuring
one of three categories of classroom projects in need of
funding—Art & Music, Math & Science, and Literacy &
Language.
The companies' friends and followers will be able to vote for
their favorite classroom projects in that week's category on the
Sylvan Learning and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory corporate
Facebook pages.
Each week the partners will donate funding to the five projects
in that week's category that receive the most votes from fans. The
companies will donate up to a combined goal amount of $5,000 to the winning classroom projects. Sylvan
and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory will announce all the winners
on May 10 at the end of Teacher
Appreciation Week.
Throughout the course of the initiative, Sylvan Learning and
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory will also conduct an extensive
nationwide social media and email campaign to support
DonorsChoose.org and to promote their joint fundraising effort.
Both companies will work to raise awareness of DonorsChoose.org and
the fundraising campaign through all social media channels.
"Social media and online fundraising sites like DonorsChoose.org
offer an excellent way to increase awareness and solicit
much-needed resources for today's classrooms," said Julia Fitzgerald, chief marketing officer,
Sylvan Learning. "Every day, teachers across the country dig into
their own pockets to pay for the classroom supplies they need to
ensure their students receive the best possible education.
Project Thank You provides Sylvan and Rocky Mountain
Chocolate Factory—and the broader community—with the opportunity to
show our gratitude in a way that really makes a difference."
"Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is excited to work with Sylvan
Learning to help teachers get the resources they need to educate
children across a wide range of academic subjects,"
said Edward Dudley, senior vice president of sales and
marketing. "We have partnered with Sylvan for over 10 years in
providing chocolate prizes for other learning initiatives. Now we
are especially pleased to be able to 'sweeten the deal' by
partnering in an effort that also provides much-needed funding to
classrooms across the country."
Follow us:
Facebook: Project Thank You
Twitter: #ProjectThankYou
For additional information and educational resources, visit us
on the web at www.sylvanlearning.com or call 1-800-31-SUCCESS.
About Sylvan Learning
Sylvan Learning is the leading
provider of tutoring to students of all ages, grades and skill
levels with over 30 years of experience and more than 800 centers
located throughout North America.
Sylvan's trained and Sylvan-certified personal instructors provide
individualized instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, study
skills and test-prep for college entrance and state exams. For more
information, call 1-800-31-SUCCESS or visit
www.SylvanLearning.com.
About Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc
Rocky
Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc. is an international franchisor of
gourmet chocolate and confection stores and a manufacturer of an
extensive line of premium chocolates and other confectionery
products. The Company's majority-owned subsidiary, U-Swirl, Inc.
(OTCQB: SWRL), is a franchisor and operator of self-serve frozen
yogurt stores. As of March 31,
2013, the Company, its subsidiary and its franchisees
operated 428 Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and self-serve yogurt
stores in 42 states, Canada,
Japan and the United Arab
Emirates.
The Company is headquartered in Durango, Colorado, and its common stock is
listed on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol "RMCF."
The common stock of U-Swirl, Inc. trades on the OTCQB under the
symbol "SWRL".
SOURCE Sylvan Learning