Dave Thomas, the founder, and star of many of Wendy's classic commercials, was adopted when he was a little baby. He started the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption in 1992 to help raise awareness for other kids who need a family.
Since his death in 2002, Wendy's has continued to support the foundation with various methods including charity golf tournaments and other fundraisers like collection bucket campaigns at the registers in their restaurant, but they have never thrown all their weight behind the program their founder championed.
As of last week, that is starting to change because the hamburger chain is increasing its promotion of the foundation. The company will start a national advertising campaign to support the foundation, and it will now have an adoption page on its website. As you have to think Dave Thomas would have wanted, Wendy's is once again putting adoption at the forefront.
A new Wendy's commercial opens with scenes of families enjoying one another, and is narrated by the person who gave the restaurant chain it's name.
A grown Wendy Thomas, whose father named his first hamburger restaurant after the redhaired little girl when she was 8, calls on the audience to consider the good that can be done through adoption.
"Every child deserves a hug before bedtime, a place to call home," Wendy says. "Wendy's dream is to help every child waiting in foster care find the loving family they deserve."
According to The New York Times, The new website for the program, will include a video with examples of children in foster care being adopted, adoption statistics, links to the foundation site and fund-raising promotions from Wendy's. According to a current promotion, a Frosty key tag can be bought for $1, with all proceeds going to the foundation. The adoption foundation tag gets the owner a free frosty through August whenever they purchase something else on the menu.
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption awards grants to help every child in need of a home, but primarily is concerned with children in foster care who have had the most difficulty being matched for adoption. Many of these children are older, have health issues of some variety, or have siblings and need to be adopted as a group.
Carol Cone, head of the business and social purpose practice at the PR firm Edelman, said the campaign shows Wendy's "is recognizing that in an ever more transparent society, consumers are asking, 'What do you stand for beyond just selling me food?'"
Classic Wendys Commercial
