Tropical Smoothie Café Donates $515,000 to Camp Sunshine

Smoothie and sandwich chain fundraising efforts will benefit countless families of children with life-threatening illnesses

CASCO, Maine (August 9, 2013) – Camp Sunshine, a one-of-a-kind national retreat in Casco, Maine for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families, received a $515,000 donation Monday from Tropical Smoothie Café as proceeds from the national smoothie and sandwich chain’s National Flip Flop Day campaign.

Tropical Smoothie Café (www.tropicalsmoothiecafe.com) has now raised and donated more than $2 million to Camp Sunshine through its Flip Flop Day fundraising. Camp Sunshine (www.campsunshine.org) provides a welcome respite for children and their families coping with such life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, kidney disease and lupus.

On Monday, more than 250 family members, volunteers and staff looked on as Mike Rotondo, Tropical Smoothie Café’s CEO and President, presented the $515,000 check to Camp Sunshine Co-Founder Anna Gould and Executive Director Matthew Hoidal.

Rotondo was joined by members of the franchise development and support team, along with several Tropical Smoothie Café area developers, store owners and employees who are volunteering at Camp Sunshine this week as part of Tropical Smoothie Café Week.

Tropical Smoothie Café raised the funds during its seventh annual National Flip Flop Day (www.nationalflipflopday.com), which took place in June at each of the more than 340 locations across the country. Stores gave away free smoothies to flip flop-wearing customers, who were also encouraged to make donations to Camp Sunshine.

In addition to the $2 million already raised through National Flip Flop Day, Tropical Smoothie Café last year also pledged to provide $1 million for Camp Sunshine’s endowment – the largest corporate gift of its kind toward sustaining the Camp Sunshine program in perpetuity.

Camp Sunshine is located on 23 acres of donated land adjacent to Point Sebago Resort on beautiful Sebago Lake. Since its inception in 1984, Camp Sunshine has provided a haven for more than 40,500 individuals from 48 states and 22 countries.

"We feel forever grateful to Tropical Smoothie Café for its leadership rallying its team and inspiring its customers so that children with life-threatening illnesses and their families from around the country can find respite at Camp Sunshine," said Matthew M. Hoidal, Esq., executive director of Camp Sunshine. "Tropical Smoothie Café’s ongoing support will have lasting positive impact on Camp Sunshine's future. We can’t thank them enough."

Camp Sunshine began its partnership with Tropical Smoothie Café in 2008 when the national chain found Camp Sunshine listed as a top rated charity by Charity Navigator.

Impressed by Camp’s fiscal responsibility, national reach, and compelling mission, the company chose Camp Sunshine to be its national charity partner – and beneficiary of its National Flip Flop Day fundraising and promotional campaign.

The money raised this year will be used primarily to provide sponsorships for more than 200 families to attend Camp Sunshine throughout the year, which includes supporting families’ travel costs.

"Camp Sunshine creates memorable experiences for the families touched by this incredible program, and Tropical Smoothie Café stands behind those efforts 100 percent," Rotondo said. "We are proud to be involved with such a wonderful organization and look forward to continuing to support Camp Sunshine."

About Tropical Smoothie Café
Established in 1997, Tropical Smoothie Café has taken the smoothie concept to the next level by offering diners a healthy alternative to typical fast food. The concept, which introduced food in 1999, provides consumers with a variety of high-quality real-fruit smoothies, specialty wraps, sandwiches, grilled flatbreads and salads. The company also caters. Tropical Smoothie Café includes menu options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For several consecutive years, Tropical Smoothie Café has been included in Entrepreneur magazine’s “Franchise 500” list as well as ranked in the publication’s “America’s Top Global” franchise category. Tropical Smoothie Café has more than 340 locations open in the United States, with an additional 46 currently in development. For more information, including franchising opportunities, visit www.tropicalsmoothiecafe.com.

About Camp Sunshine
Camp Sunshine offers children with life-threatening illnesses and their families a place to relax together for a week, and to take a break from the extraordinary demands placed upon them on a daily basis. The year-round program is free of charge and staffed almost entirely by volunteers. It is the only program in the nation whose mission is to address the impact of a life-threatening illness on every member of the immediate family — the ill child, the parents and the siblings. Since its inception in 1984, Camp Sunshine has provided a haven for more than 32,000 individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. In addition to providing 24-hour on-site medical and psychosocial support, the camp offers a variety of daily activities, including swimming, boating, archery and soccer, and special events such as bonfires and cookouts. To support Camp Sunshine, call (207) 655-3800 or visit www.campsunshine.org.

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Photo IDs: Anna Gould, Co-Founder of Camp Sunshine; Matt Hoidal, Executive Director, Camp Sunshine; Mike Rotondo, CEO and President, Tropical Smoothie Cafe (blue shirt).

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