Hooters Wings for Kids Program Back Again to Help

CHIGAGO, Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Since introducing its Wings For Kids program here 19 years ago, Chicagoland Hooters locations have raised over $385,000 for the Holy Family Lutheran School. On Tuesdays during the month of February, all eleven Chicago-area Hooters Restaurants donate 1/3 of their world-famous chicken wing sales to Holy Family's Tuition Assistance Fund.

The Holy Family Lutheran School was founded in 1985 to provide a high-quality education for minority students in Chicago's low-income neighborhoods. This program has yielded impressive results, with 87% of Holy Family's graduates going on to enroll in college preparatory high schools. The money raised by Hooters for the "Tuition Assistance Fund" affords, on average, a first-class education for eight at-risk students each year.

"The long-standing generosity of the Hooters owners, staff and customers has been a blessing, opening the doors of private education for so many families who might otherwise have been unable to gain access. It's very important that children receive a strong academic foundation in their elementary years, and the Wings For Kids program has enabled that for lots of kids in our school. We are grateful," said Susan Work, the President of Holy Family Ministries.

The Wings for Kids program began in Clearwater, Florida, home of the original Hooters Restaurant, where money was raised for similar school grant programs. Due to its success there, the state of Florida presented the Hooters Management Corporation with the Patron of Education award. After bringing the Hooters brand to Chicago in 1991, it seemed natural to the founders of the restaurant chain to find a local organization in the area that could benefit in the same way from Wings For Kids.

"Hooters has raised millions of dollars for numerous charities since 1983, but our managers and staff members here in Chicago always look forward to the Wings For Kids program because of its local focus," said Sal Melilli, the Chief Operating Officer of Hooters Management Corporation. "As the graduates go on to become enlightened members of the community we at Hooters are extremely proud of our ability to actively improve the lives of children in our own neighborhood and we're glad we can offer them the wings they need to fly."

Contact: Bob Passwaters, +1-727-726-5677, [email protected]

SOURCE Hooters Management Corporation