Local SUBWAY® Restaurants donate 3,000 sandwiches to Lehigh Valley March for Babies

April 23, 2008 - PRLog -- ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- Local SUBWAY® Restaurants are supporting the Lehigh Valley March for Babies on Sunday, April 27 by donating 3,000 sandwiches to feed participants – a total donation value of $9,000.

Formerly known as WalkAmerica, March for Babies is the March of Dimes premier fundraising event that benefits all babies – those born healthy as well as those who need help to survive and thrive. This year marks the 70th Anniversary of the organization.

"Subway is proud to be a continued supporter of the March for Babies,” Chad Citro, chairman of the local Subway Franchisee Advertising Trust Fund said. “We hope that by providing lunch for over 3,000 walkers, more of the money raised for the charity can be used for valuable research."

Walkers are encouraged to register in advance online at http://www.marchforbabies.org by Saturday, April 26. Walkers can also register the day of the event at the event site, Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown.

Check in begins at 9 a.m., and the March for Babies begins promptly at 10 a.m. During the event, SUBWAY® coupons will be handed out at various checkpoints to encourage walkers along the route. Other forms of encouragement at the checkpoints will include gymnastics demos, music provided by a DJ, pep from local cheerleaders, and visits from local business and university mascots.  

As walkers complete the route, they will be invited to join the post-walk celebration featuring the free SUBWAY® lunch, live music from the band The Gritzz, and children’s activities, including airbrush tattoos by Dorney Park and a Guitar Hero video game mobile unit.

Robert A. Rupel, president and CEO of Lafayette Ambassador Bank, is serving as this year’s chair for March for Babies Lehigh Valley.  

“I’m proud to be part of a national movement to ensure that every baby has a healthy start in life,” Rupel said. “Everyone can be a champion for baby health by signing up for March for Babies. I am involved with many worthwhile Lehigh Valley organizations but nothing is as important as the support our newborn babies need to start life healthy and safe.”

Premature birth touches half a million babies and their families every year including nearly 17,000 in Pennsylvania. Babies born too soon are more likely to die or have disabilities. Nationally, more than 120,000 babies are born with serious birth defects that can mean a lifetime of disability. Babies born healthy need champions, too, to be sure they have access to newborn screening and preventive health care. The March of Dimes is there for all babies.

For additional information about the local SUBWAY® Restaurants’ sponsorship of the Lehigh Valley March for Babies, please call Lia Luisi at (919) 463-9680 or e-mail lia.luisi@kowabunga.com.

To learn more about March for Babies, visit http://www.marchforbabies.org.

About SUBWAY® Restaurants
With more than 28,500 locations in 86 countries, the SUBWAY® Restaurant chain is the world’s largest submarine sandwich franchise. In 2002, the SUBWAY® chain surpassed McDonald’s in the number of restaurants open in the United States and Canada. Headquartered in Milford, Conn., the SUBWAY® Restaurant chain was co-founded by Fred DeLuca and Dr. Peter Buck in 1965. Their partnership continues today, making it possible for thousands of individuals to own, build and succeed in their own business. The SUBWAY® brand was recently ranked as the number one global franchise opportunity in Entrepreneur magazine’s 2008 Annual Franchise 500® listing. For more information on SUBWAY® Restaurants, please visit http://www.subway.com.

About the March of Dimes
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit http://www.marchofdimes.com or http://www.nacersano.org.

Website: www.subway.com