“FOOD FOR THOUGHT” Fund Drive in Dallas/Fort Worth Raises $27k for the Boy Scouts’ Learning for Life Educational Program;
Participating restaurants were Razzoo’s Cajun Café,
Bone Daddy’s House of Smoke, and Skoot’s Hamburgers
DALLAS/FORT WORTH– January 2, 2007
– Eleven local Dallas/Fort Worth restaurants raised $27,000 for the
North Texas chapter (Circle Ten Council) of the nationwide “Learning
for Life” program during a week-long fund drive in October. As a
result, 1,000 local children will be able to participate in the
Learning for Life program. A division of Boy Scouts of America,
Learning for Life provides schools with educational programs that go
beyond academics to focus on character building, decision-making
skills, and other life skills needed to handle the complexities of
contemporary society.
The Learning for Life “Food for Thought” fund drive was the creation
of local restaurateur Mike Leatherwood and Learning for Life Cedar
Ridge District Executive Cherita Clemons. During the weeklong fund
drive October 22 – 28, 2006, employees at nine local Razzoo’s Cajun
Cafes, Bone Daddy’s House of Smoke, and Skoot’s Hamburgers solicited
patrons to donate money to the cause. As an incentive, all restaurants
offered patrons a free appetizer if they contributed $27, which is the
amount needed to sponsor one child in the program. Each restaurant
pledged to meet the first $1,000 raised at their location. With the
restaurants’ matching donations, the fund drive successfully raised
$27,000, enough to sponsor 1,000 children.
“There are several reasons why we felt this particular cause is
important to not only the local community, but to the DFW restaurant
community in general,” Mike Leatherwood said. “According to the
National Restaurant Association, 42% of the United States adult
population at some point has worked in the restaurant industry. For
many young people, their first jobs in the ‘real world’ are working at
a restaurant. Programs like Learning for Life help students prepare
for jobs such as ours, by teaching them how to interview, complete job
applications, and begin developing management and leadership skills.
“Our goal was to raise enough money to sponsor 1,000 children
in the Learning for Life program, and our employees pulled together and
met that goal. We’re pleased with this success during our first year
to host this fund drive, which will occur during the third week in
October from now on. We’re hoping other local restaurants will see the
benefits of this program and will choose to participate in future ‘Food
for Thought’ fund drives,” Leatherwood said.
As part of the fund drive, on October 26, 2006, five Razzoo’s Cajun
Café restaurants hosted 45 fifth and sixth graders from the John
Ireland Elementary School in Pleasant Grove. During the visit, the
students learned about what it’s like to work in a restaurant. They
received an orientation, spent time helping Razzoo’s wait staff and
door staff, and enjoyed a nice Cajun dinner. (Photos available.)
Transportation for the 45 children and 10 accompanying school officials
was provided courtesy of the Greyhound franchisee Ben Tubbs, of BET
Services in Mesquite, Texas.
“We are so thankful to Mike Leatherwood and his 11 local
restaurants for helping us meet and beat our annual goal of $25,000.
As a result, we can continue to provide our Learning for Life programs
to at-risk schools throughout the Metroplex,” Learning for Life Cedar
Ridge District Executive Cherita Clemons said.
ABOUT LEARNING FOR LIFE
A division of the Boy Scouts of America, Learning for Life (www.learningforlife.com)
offers programs and curriculum designed to support schools in their
efforts to prepare youth to successfully handle the complexities of
contemporary society and enhance self-confidence, motivation, and
self-esteem. The Learning for Life programs help youth develop social
and life skills, assist in character and career development, and help
youth formulate positive personal values. Learning for Life has been
adopted by more than 17,000 schools and organizations nationwide,
serving more than 1.5 million youth. For more information about the
Learning for Life program or about how your restaurant can participate
in the “Food for Thought” fund drive next year, contact Cherita Clemons
at cclemons@bsamail.org, 214 902 6734.
ABOUT RAZZOO’S , BONE DADDY’S, and SKOOT’S
Founded in 1991 by Mike Leatherwood, privately held Razzoo’s LP (
www.razzoos.com)
owns and operates 11 Razzoo’s Cajun Café restaurants in Dallas/Fort
Worth, Houston and Charlotte, North Carolina. With more than 1,000
employees, Razzoo’s grossed more than $32 million for the calendar year
ending September 24, 2006. Razzoo’s majority owner Mike Leatherwood
also founded, owns and operates the Skoot’s hamburger restaurant in
Dallas, and the Bone Daddy’s House of Smoke barbeque restaurants in
Dallas, Austin, and soon, Grapevine, Texas. (
www.bonedaddys.com).
