Twenty-year partnership helps St. Jude lead the way the world understands,
treats and defeats childhood cancer and other
life-threatening diseases
DALLAS, Dec. 15,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Chili's® Grill & Bar and St.
Jude Children's Research Hospital® are celebrating a massive
milestone this week. The casual dining staple known for its
Southwest-inspired American favorites, on behalf of its Guests, has
officially raised and donated more than $100
million cumulatively to benefit the lifesaving mission of
St. Jude: Finding cures. Saving
children®. Chili's is one of the first partners of
St. Jude to reach this
milestone.
![(PRNewsfoto/Chili's Grill & Bar) (PRNewsfoto/Chili's Grill & Bar)](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1892529/Chilis_Logo.jpg)
"What an incredible milestone by our great friends at Chili's,
who have raised $100 million for
St. Jude kids through 20 years of
support," said Richard C. Shadyac
Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and
awareness organization for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
"We are so grateful to Chili's for championing St. Jude patients and families from the
beginning of this partnership that has expanded and been embraced
by Chili's Team Members, Guests and ChiliHeads everywhere. We look
forward to continuing this wonderful partnership, which will enable
St. Jude to help the 400,000
children around the world each year with cancer and other
life-threatening diseases."
The partnership began in 2002 when Memphis, Tenn., Chili's Team Members,
including then-General Manager (now Director of Operations)
Dharam Rampersad, were looking for a
way to connect with their local community. They created the first
version of the Create-a-Pepper campaign and raised $14,000 to help find cures and save kids. Since
then, Chili's led the Create-a-Pepper campaign nationally, turning
a paper pepper coloring sheet into a "work of heart."
"At Chili's, we're all about making everyone feel special, and
giving back is not only an important part of who we are, but also
one way to bring our purpose to life," said Chili's EVP, Chief
People Officer Aaron White. "We're
especially focused on supporting groups with missions impacting
kids, education and hunger – and our partnership with St. Jude helps save kids' lives. We wouldn't
have been able to reach this $100
million milestone without the help of our Team Members and
Guests."
Click here for photos and videos of the
partnership through the years, including Chili's Team Members
celebrating the milestone.
Chili's was the first corporate partner to have its name on a
building on the St. Jude campus in
Memphis with the Chili's Care
Center in 2007, which not only provides a welcoming space for
children with cancer but houses a translational research center
that facilitates collaboration between clinicians and researchers
for better clinical outcomes. When St.
Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was considered
incurable. Since then, St. Jude
has helped push the overall survival rate from 20 percent to more
than 80 percent, and you can join Chili's in helping St. Jude reach its ultimate goal of making
sure no child dies from cancer.
The $100 million in donations are
made up of Chili's Guests rounding up or adding their preferred
amount on checks, buying merchandise, and fundraising at events.
The addition of the round up program in mid-2020 powered Chili's to
its most successful fundraising year for St. Jude, further allowing their team of
medical professionals to ensure families never receive a bill for
treatment, travel, housing or food.
About Chili's® Grill &
Bar
Hi, welcome to Chili's! We're a leader in the casual dining
industry and the flagship brand of Dallas-based Brinker International, Inc.
(NYSE: EAT). We're known for our big mouth burgers, Texas-sized ribs, full-on sizzling fajitas and
hand-shaken margaritas. We take our food seriously – but not
ourselves – because dining out should feel like a celebration even
if there is nothing to celebrate. Our passion is making every Guest
feel special, and every day, our ChiliHeads make it their job to
spread #ChilisLove across our more than 1,600 restaurants in 29
countries and two territories. And Chili's cares. We host local
Give Back Events to support kids, education and hunger and have
raised more than $100 million
benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital through generous
guest donations. Find more information about us at chilis.com,
follow us on Twitter or Instagram, like us on Facebook or join us
on TikTok.
St. Jude Children's Research
Hospital®
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the
world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other
life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures.
Saving children.® It is the only National Cancer
Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to
children. When St. Jude opened in
1962, childhood cancer was considered incurable. Since then,
St. Jude has helped push the
overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80%, and it won't stop
until no child dies from cancer. St.
Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and
researchers at local hospitals and cancer centers around the world
improve the quality of treatment and care for even more children.
Because of generous donors, families never receive a bill from
St. Jude for treatment, travel,
housing or food, so they can focus on helping their child live.
Visit St. Jude Inspire to discover powerful St. Jude stories of hope, strength, love and
kindness. Support the St. Jude
mission by donating at stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook, following St. Jude on Twitter, Instagram,
LinkedIn and TikTok, and subscribing to its
YouTube channel.
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SOURCE Chili's Grill & Bar