GLENDALE Calif. The freshly crowned Miss America 2010, Caressa Cameron, will be the spokeswoman for IHOP’s fifth National Pancake Day celebration, which aims to raise more than $1.7 million for children’s hospitals this month.
The fundraising effort began Monday with the sale of paper balloon icons at IHOP restaurants across the country. Guests can purchase $1 or $5 balloons through Feb. 23, with 100 percent of proceeds going to Children’s Miracle Network, an international nonprofit that raises funds for more than 170 children’s hospitals. Guests who buy $5 balloons will receive a $5 bounce-back coupon for a future visit, IHOP said.
Capping off the month-long fundraiser is the annual National Pancake Day event on Feb. 23 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., when IHOP restaurants will give away millions of signature buttermilk pancakes and ask guests to make a voluntary donation to support the Children’s Miracle Network and other local charities.
Cameron, who was crowned Miss America on Saturday, said she was delighted to kick of her reign as a national Goodwill Ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network and its partnership with IHOP, which this year hopes to surpass the $5 million fundraising mark since the annual event was launched in 2006.
Last year, IHOP gave away an estimated 3 million free pancakes and raised $1.5 million for local children’s hospitals and other causes.
“Five million dollars over five years is an impressive fundraising feat, and I look forward to working closely with IHOP and Children’s Miracle Network to turn that goal into a reality,” Cameron said in a statement.
Asubsidiary of Glendale, Calif.-based DineEquity Inc., the almost all-franchised IHOP chain includes 1,433 units in 50 states, Canada and Mexico.
Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].