Fond Loving Parent

www.flparent.com

Adoption and the Legacy of Dave Thomas
by Kristyn Drysdale
http://www.atlcadoption.com

Who can forget Dave Thomas~ cherubic face as he sold his
Wendy~s hamburgers on TV commercials broadcast into our
home. This successful business person had been a
marketing force for Colonel Sanders and Kentucky Fried
Chicken (KFC today) for years before launching his own
chain of fast-food restaurants named Wendy~s Old Fashioned
Hamburgers Restaurants. His entrepreneurial spirit
allowed him to turn his restaurants into a successful
franchise throughout the country after starting from
nothing.

Dave Thomas was also well known for his ability to speak
openly about his personal experience with adoption. In many
ways, this made Thomas a self-appointed spokesperson about
this very delicate matter. It was no surprise that former
President George Bush asked Thomas in 1990 to officially
head a national program called "Adoption Works For
Everyone". This program eventually inspired nearly 150,000
children's adoption from foster care. Thomas took this a
step farther in 1992 and formed The Dave Thomas Foundation
for Adoption. This non-profit organization's purpose is to
increase adoption awareness and to envelope prototypical
adoption programs. "Every child will have a permanent home
and a loving family" is this foundation's unique and
worthwhile vision. Furthermore, this foundation's primary
focus is to prop up awareness about children who are in
foster care and need a stable address. To this day, Wendy's
Restaurant maintains active involvement in this worthwhile
endeavor.

Thomas took the hands-on approach to seeing his Foundation
get off the ground during the starting phase. He went out
to campaign to the public, federal legislation and corporate
policies about issues concerning children in foster care and
the pitfalls of the adoption system. Thomas' main objective
was to see families with adopted children receive financial
provisions, similar to the benefits that biological parents
and their children can eligibly collect. His efforts were
not in vein - in 1993, grants were given to Thomas'
foundation and the American Council on Adoptive Children was
also given a grant to pair 200 foster care children with
parents seeking to adopt.

Dave Thomas' inspiring efforts live on today through his
franchise and his Foundation. Joining together, Wendy's and
Dave's Foundation fuel adoptions and raise millions of
dollars. Thanks to their momentum local adoptions have
increased and over $20 million has been raised through
various donations, fundraisers and other programs. For
example, Hallmark Cards felt so inspired after watching
Dave's televised programs about adoption on Hallmark Channel
that this company decided forward proceeds from specially
designed and marketed Christmas ornaments to his Foundation.
Another successful fundraiser for this cause is Wendy's
Three-Tour Golf Challenge, which brings in about $2 million
every year.

Wendy~s restaurant chain has identified itself with the
cause of promoting the adoption of foster children.
Employees and franchisees look for ways to market this cause
at the local level. When the entrepreneurial spirit
couples with a non-profit cause, great good can happen.

Since Dave Thomas' passing on January 8, 2002, he has been
dubbed "The Patron Saint of Adoption" and his foundation
fruitfully carries on his legacy.

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