These delicious cookies in football shapes will be available at Panera Bread cafes to help earn funds for the Dan Marino Foundation
Looking for a sweet way to help children with autism in South Florida?
In support of National Autism Awareness Month in April, Panera Bread has teamed up with the Dan Marino Foundation and for the second year, created a custom football-shaped cookie that will be sold individually or by the “Marino Dozen,” which will contain 13 cookies.
These one-of-a kind cookies created specifically for this fundraiser will be available at 33 Panera Bread cafes in Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade counties and will be sold during the entire month of April 2012 during the “Touchdown for Autism” campaign.
The shortbread cookies with teal and orange icing will be available individually for $1.99 or by the “Marino Dozen” which contains 13 cookies at $20.99.
Customers are encouraged to order their Marino Dozen in advance online at
www.wifi.covelli.com/panera/touchdownforautism
“An enormous amount of work went into creating these cookies,” said Nicky Tesser of Panera Bread. “Matt Levine, our Director of Baking created a special football mold and the recipe and the icing.”
Cookies are cut, baked, and iced by hand at each Panera Bread location from 10pm to 6am.
Last year, Panera sold 22,000 cookies and donated $25,000 to the Dan Marino Foundation. “We saw how successful we were last year and the response was so great. We are committed to supporting the Dan Marino Foundation every year,” said Tesser.
One dollar from every cookie sold will benefit the Dan Marino Foundation’s Vocational College, which is scheduled to open Fall of 2014.
Located in downtown Fort Lauderdale, the Dan Marino Foundation Vocational College will serve the academic and vocational needs of young adults age 18 to 28 with autism and other disabilities. The campus will include academic and functional education classrooms, an employability skills center, virtual computer-based career lab, student union, fine arts studio, health and wellness center and job placement service. Micro-enterprising will play a key role, allowing students who wish to run their own business a venue to achieve this goal. The eco-friendly campus will include outdoor spaces and green technology throughout. A supported residential component will be available for students who wish to learn to live independently in area apartments.
“Partnering with businesses in our community like Panera Bread makes all the difference in creating positive awareness and support.” Said, Dan Marino, Chairman of the Dan Marino Foundation.
“We are very excited about this program because of what the Dan Marino Foundation means to the South Florida Community,” Said Sam Covelli of Covelli Enterprises, Owner Operator of Panera Bread in Broward & Palm Beach Counties.
Covelli Enterprises operates more than 200 Bakery-Cafes in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Florida and Canada. Covelli Enterprises is the nation’s largest franchisee of Panera Bread, LLC.
Dan and Claire Marino established the Dan Marino Foundation in 1992. The Foundation’s mission is to “open doors” toward independence for children and young adults with autism and special needs by creating awareness and opportunities.
Philanthropy is nothing new to Covelli. At the close of each day, Panera Bread bakery-cafes donate bread and baked goods to community organizations in need. In 2011, the company donated 13 million dollars to charity.
For those who can’t eat cookies, they are still able to support this effort by donating to the Share the Bread/Dough Nation boxes at the Panera registers in Broward and Palm Beach Counties.
Additional information is available at www.panerabread.com
“This is an inexpensive way for people to support the Dan Marino Foundation,” said Tesser. “Autism effects so many in our community and it was great to create a promotion knowing the funds will help local families.”
For information about the college, contact Susan Morantes at 954 530 5511, Ext 207 or visit www.danmarinofoundation.org.
