5/15/16

The Burger King/McLamore Foundation today announced that its Burger King Scholars Program has surpassed the $10 million mark in total college scholarships granted, since the program’s inception in 2000. The announcement was made as the Foundation awarded its 2006 scholarships to 1,572 high school seniors from around the country, each student receiving a $1,000 scholarship as part of the program.

According to the US Department of Labor, job growth between 2000 and 2010 will come predominantly in fields requiring a college education, yet the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance asserts that in the first decade of the 21st century as many as two million qualified high school graduates from low and moderate income families will not attend college because of financial barriers.

"When we first launched the Burger King Scholars Program seven years ago, our primary goal was to give as many deserving students the opportunity to further their education as we could," said Clyde Rucker, co-chairman of the Burger King/McLamore Foundation. "Reaching this significant milestone is a tribute to the commitment and hard work of our BURGER KING® family. We are all incredibly proud of this important program and the way it has allowed us to positively shape the lives of these students. We look forward to helping many more students in the years to come."

The combined value of all 2006 scholarships will be nearly $1.8 million dollars, with each scholarship award designed to help graduates offset the cost of attending college or a post-secondary vocational/technical school.

"Too many qualified students are missing out on the opportunity to achieve a higher education because of financial constraints," says Steven M. Lewis, co-chairman of the Burger King/McLamore Foundation. "This is our chance to make a difference in the lives of those promising young scholars."

Graduating seniors throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada are eligible for the scholarships. Since 2000, the Burger King/McLamore Foundation has awarded more than $10 million in scholarships to students. To determine the recipients, the Burger King/McLamore Foundation works with high school principals and counselors to identify students who meet the criteria by displaying exemplary academic achievement. Students are selected based on their grade point average, work experience, financial need, co-curricular activities and community service. A majority of Burger King Scholars awardees participated in community service projects at their local hospitals, elementary schools, churches and in parks and recreation programs, among other places.

Scholarship funds come directly from company-owned and franchise BURGER KING® restaurants throughout the country that host a variety of fundraising activities in order to generate monies for scholarships each year.

For more information on the program, including instructions for obtaining scholarship applications in 2006, visit our Scholarship Programs page or call 305.378.3186.

About Burger King Corporation

The BURGER KING® system operates more than 11,100 restaurants in all 50 states and in more than 65 countries and U.S. territories worldwide. Approximately 90 percent of BURGER KING® restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, many of them family-owned operations that have been in business for decades. Burger King Holdings Inc., the parent company, is private and independently owned by an equity sponsor group comprised of Texas Pacific Group, Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs Funds. To learn more about BURGER KING®, please visit the company's website at www.burgerking.com.

About the Burger King/McLamore Foundation

Incorporated in October 1997, the Burger King/McLamore Foundation is a public, non-profit organization whose funds are derived from BURGER KING® system members and consumers, creating an endowment to build brighter futures through education for youth in our communities. The Foundation honors co-founder James W. McLamore and his lifelong commitment to education. To date, the Foundation has awarded a total of 10,468 scholarships representing more than $10 million. To learn more about the Burger King/McLamore Foundation, please visit the Foundation's website at www.bkmfoundation.com.