Taco Bell for High School Graduates!

I'm not necessarily one to endorse fast food as part of your regular eating habits. And with that disclaimer out of the way, I will admit that I love Taco Bell. As far as I'm concerned, Taco Bell would win out over BK, McDonalds, and Wendy's any day of any week, ever. I will be forever grateful for the one who introduced me to Taco Bell (even if I'm grateful to him for nothing else).

Onto the real reason for this post...
Participating Taco Bell Restaurants will donatd 15% of their gross sales on THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2009 to the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens, the company's nonprofit organization dedicated to helping teens graduate from high school and be prepared for college, careers, and life.

As an added bonus, the Foundation is providing consumers a chance to win one of four $25,000 scholarships to be used for tuition at an accredited college or vocational school. The sweepstakes invites consumers visiting participating Taco Bell Restaurants on April 23 to receive a special code that must be entererd on www.tacobellgraduation.com for a chance to win. No purchase necessary.

The one-day fundraiser is part of a $5 million annual giving goal that will directly fund teen programs at Boys & Girls Clubs across the country.

Do you have Facebook? Show your support for this cause by adding this application and uploading a photo to the World's Largest Yearbook. The Foundation's goal is to build a Facebook Yearbook with one million "friends," representing the current number of teens who drop out of high school each year.

The high school dropout rates are staggering in America, with one student dropping out of high school every 26 seconds. More than 30 percent of teens in the U.S. and up to 50 percent of Latinos and African Americans fail to graduate with their class. Dropouts are more likely than high school graduates to be unemployed, in poor health, living in poverty, in prison, or on public assistance.

For more information on the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens and its national initiatives or to make an online donation to the campaign, visit www.tacobellgraduation.com. You can also follow them on Twitter: Twitter @Tacobell4teens.

The Taco Bell Foundation, Inc., dba Taco Bell Foundation for Teens (TBFT), a non-profit 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation, is committed to addressing the growing number of high school dropouts in the U.S. by providing at-risk youth with mentors and real-world experiences that will motivate them to stay in school and achieve more in life. Since 1995, TBFT has donated more than $23 million to support teen programs at Boys & Girls Clubs of America with the help of on-going customer, franchisee and employee donations. For more information about TBFT, visit www.tacobellfoundationforteens.org.

While you're in the giving mood, consider making a donation to my Relay for Life Team Page -- Boys' Night Out -- in support of the American Cancer Society. You can donate online or print out a donation form.