ST. LOUIS, MO – Budweiser announced earlier this week that a spring-summer promotion has generated a $1.5 million donation to Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides scholarships and other assistance to the families of soldiers killed or disabled in service.
From May 5 through July 4, 2013, Budweiser donated $1 million to the foundation, while the Anheuser-Busch Foundation added another $500,000. Combined, the money provided 300 scholarships.
"As the most iconic brand in America, we feel it is our duty to support the military members, and their families, who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country," said Brian Perkins, vice president, Budweiser. "Folds of Honor and the people it helps continue to be an inspiration to our entire company, and we are very proud to be a longtime partner of this organization."
In the past three years, Budweiser has raised more than $6.5 million for Folds of Honor, providing more than 1,300 educational scholarships. Next year, the company plans to partner with more than 400 wholesalers to grow its donation, when more than 35,000 U.S. troops will return from Afghanistan.
"Budweiser and its wholesaler system are planning an unprecedented donation for this unprecedented homecoming," Perkins said.
At the Anheuser-Busch sales and marketing conference in San Antonio, Major Dan Rooney, Folds of Honor founder and former F-16 pilot in the Oklahoma Air National Guard, issued a challenge, and incentive, to the 2,800 attendees. Local wholesalers who commit $5,000 by Dec. 13, 2013 will be eligible to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to fly out to a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean, accompanied by Major Dan Rooney, for dinner and a private tour of the ship, which will be hosted by the ship's captain.
"Thousands of families have benefitted from Budweiser's support of Folds of Honor, but there are thousands more that still need our help," Rooney said. "I am consistently impressed and humbled by the commitment Budweiser and its wholesalers show for our military families and their sacrifices."