All posts by Lindsay Priester

Over the Edge with Ron Hines

Cafe Carolina has partnered with Special Olympics NC for many years. Giving back to the community and supporting special needs individuals in North Carolina is extremely important to Ron Hines and Steve Zanella, owners of Cafe Carolina.

Robert Bulter recently sat down with Ron Hines to find out how and why Cafe Carolina supports Special Olympics N.C. You can read the article here.

 

Cafe Carolina Hosts Fundraiser for Special Olympics North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (Aug. 25, 2015) – Cafe Carolina and Bakery is hosting the “A Sweet Way to Help” fundraiser to support Special Olympics North Carolina. From Aug. 25 to Oct. 2, all Cafe Carolina locations will offer fresh-baked Cafe Carolina cookies for $1 with a portion of proceeds benefitting Special Olympics North Carolina.

Cafe Carolina has partnered with Special Olympics North Carolina for many years. The cause is especially close to the heart of the Cafe Carolina team as there is at least one individual with intellectual disabilities working in every store and many of those are Special Olympics athletes.

“As a locally owned-and-operated business, supporting the local community and the people who live in it is very important to us,” said Ron Hines, co-owner of Cafe Carolina and Bakery. “Special Olympics North Carolina is a group that we’ve worked with for many years and that means very much to us. It’s a pleasure to get to support them again this year.”

In addition to financial support during the fundraising promotion, Cafe Carolina is also opening the doors of its Wells Fargo Center location and sponsoring the Special Olympics North Carolina annual Over the Edge event on Oct. 2 and 3. Over the Edge is an event in which supporters can rappel 30 stories down the Wells Fargo Center in downtown Raleigh. All interested participants must raise at least $1,000 for Special Olympics North Carolina by the event date in order to be eligible to rappel. In addition to providing meals to rappellers and volunteers, the store – normally only open Monday through Friday – will be open for business to all spectators.

About Cafe Carolina and Bakery
Since 1995, Cafe Carolina and Bakery has offered a “warm welcome” to customers, with fresh made sandwiches, soups and salads in a friendly, upscale atmosphere. There are four Cafe Carolina locations in North Carolina including: Raleigh, Cary, and Chapel Hill. For more information, visit our website at www.cafecarolina.com. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Cafe Carolina and Bakery Raises More than $32,000 for Special Olympics North Carolina

Raleigh, N.C. - Cafe Carolina and Bakery raised $32,092 for Special Olympics North Carolina as part of its sponsorship in the Over the Edge fundraiser to benefit Special Olympics, according to Keith L. Fishburne, president/CEO of Special Olympics North Carolina. Cafe Carolina raised the funds through their “A Sweet Way to Help” promotion. Customers were asked to donate $1 to Special Olympics NC in exchange for one of Cafe Carolina’s oversized fresh-baked cookies.  All four Cafe Carolina restaurants participated in the month long promotion.  Cafe Carolina and Bakery has been a long time supporter of Special Olympics.  Special Olympics holds an important place in the heart of the Cafe Carolina team as there is at least one individual with intellectual disabilities working in every store and most are Special Olympics athletes.

In addition to the financial support, Cafe Carolina also opened their Wells Fargo Capitol Center store on Oct. 4 to cater to event guests.  The Wells Fargo building store served as base camp for the Over the Edge event.  In addition to providing meals to event volunteers, the store normally only open Monday through Friday, opened for business to all rapellers and spectators.  The store also donated all sales of bakery items on event day to Special Olympics NC.

In total, the “Over the Edge” for Special Olympics North Carolina fundraiser raised $242,000 for Special Olympics North Carolina athletes. In its fifth year in Raleigh, 180 area thrill seekers made a grand impact on the local community and touched thousands of people with intellectual disabilities when they rappelled from 30-stories of the Wells Fargo Capitol Center in Downtown Raleigh. The unique and thrilling event raised $215,000. In the event’s third year in Charlotte, 55 rappellers raised $45,000 scaling 23 stories down the Fifth Third Center.  In addition to corporate sponsorships, the rappellers each raised a minimum of $1,000 for the “privilege” to go Over the Edge.

“Special Olympics North Carolina is extremely grateful to Cafe Carolina for sponsoring the Over the Edge event for a fifth straight year and so generously helping us raise funds through the ‘A Sweet Way to Help’ promotion,” said Fishburne.  “We are very appreciative of all Cafe Carolina and their employees did to make the Over the Edge event such a successful fundraiser.”

“As long term partners with Special Olympics North Carolina, we were honored to be able to support them through our cookie sales and the Over the Edge event,” said Ron Hines, owner of Café Carolina. “We want to especially recognize and thank our amazing customers who generously donated, resulting in a record setting campaign this year.”

Next year, Special Olympics North Carolina will host Over the Edge events in Raleigh on Oct. 3, 2015 at the Wells Fargo Capitol Center and the event will be back in Charlotte on Sept. 26, 2015. For more information and to register, visit www.overtheedgenc.com.

About Cafe Carolina and Bakery
Since 1995, Cafe Carolina and Bakery has offered a “warm welcome” to customers, with fresh made sandwiches, soups and salads in a friendly, upscale atmosphere. There are four locations in North Carolina including: Raleigh, Cary, and Chapel Hill. For more information, visit our website at www.cafecarolina.com.

About Special Olympics North Carolina
Special Olympics North Carolina offers year-round sports training and competition for nearly 40,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities.  These athletes inspire greatness through their success and provide motivation to the thousands of coaches, sports officials, local program committee members and event organizers involved in Special Olympics statewide.  SONC offers Olympic-type competition in 19 sports on local and state levels.  It is one of the largest Special Olympics Programs in the world in terms of registered athletes.  Engage with us on http://twitter.com/sonc_beafan; http://www.facebook.com/SpecialOlympicsNC and http://www.youtube.com/BeAFanSONC.

Cafe Carolina and Bakery Raises More than $28,500 for Special Olympics North

RALEIGH, N.C. (Oct. 25, 2012) – Cafe Carolina and Bakery raised $28,500 for Special Olympics North Carolina as part of its sponsorship in the Over the Edge fundraiser to benefit Special Olympics, according to Keith L. Fishburne, president/CEO of Special Olympics North Carolina.

Café Carolina raised the funds through their “A Sweet Way to Help” promotion. Customers were asked to donate $1 to Special Olympics in exchange for one of Café Carolina’s oversized fresh-baked cookies.

All Cafe Carolina restaurants participated in the month long promotion. Special Olympics and the cause is especially close to the heart of the Cafe Carolina and Bakery team as there is at least one individual with intellectual disabilities working in every store and most are Special Olympics athletes.

In addition to the financial support, Cafe Carolina also opened their Wells Fargo Capitol Center store on Oct. 6 to cater to event guests. The Wells Fargo building store served as base camp for the Over the Edge event. In addition to providing meals to rappellers and volunteers the store – normally only open Monday through Friday – opened for business to all spectators and provided a place to watch the live video streaming of the event provided by Shoreline Productions.

The store also donated all sales of bakery items on event day to Special Olympics NC. Cafe Carolina also provided food and beverages at the Over the Edge – Charlotte event on Oct. 13.

In total, the “Over the Edge” for Special Olympics North Carolina fundraiser raised $215,000 for Special Olympics North Carolina athletes. In its third year in Raleigh, 96 area thrill seekers made a grand impact on the local community and touched thousands of people with intellectual disabilities when they rappelled from 32-stories of the Wells Fargo Capitol Center in Downtown Raleigh. The unique and thrilling event raised more than $145,000. In the event’s second year in Charlotte, 60 rappellers raised $70,000 scaling 35 stories down The VUE- Charlotte on 5th. In addition to corporate sponsorships, the rappellers each raised a minimum of $1,000 for the “privilege” to go Over the Edge.

“Special Olympics North Carolina is very grateful to Cafe Carolina for sponsoring the Over the Edge event for a third straight year and so generously helping us raise funds through the cookie campaign,” said Fishburne. “We are very appreciative of all Cafe Carolina did to make the Over the Edge event so successful.”

Next year, Special Olympics North Carolina will host Over the Edge events in Raleigh on Oct. 5, 2013 at the Wells Fargo Capitol Center and in Charlotte the event will take place on Oct. 12, 2013 at the Fifth Third Bank. Interested participants can register and begin fundraising now. For more information and to register, visit www.overtheedgenc.com.

About Café Carolina and Bakery
Since 1995, Café Carolina and Bakery has offered a “warm welcome” to customers, with fresh made sandwiches, soups and salads in a friendly, upscale atmosphere. There are six locations across North Carolina including: Raleigh, Cary, Chapel Hill, Greensboro and Charlotte. Cafe Carolina and Bakery is owned by Boddie-Noell Enterprises, a family-owned restaurant franchise business headquartered in Rocky Mount. For more information, visit the website at www.cafecarolina.com.

About Special Olympics North Carolina
Special Olympics North Carolina offers year-round sports training and competition for more than 38,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities. These athletes inspire greatness through their success and provide motivation to the thousands of coaches, sports officials, local program committee members and event organizers involved in Special Olympics statewide. SONC offers Olympic-type competition in 19 sports on local and state levels. It is one of the largest Special Olympics Programs in the world in terms of registered athletes. Engage with us on http://twitter.com/sonc_beafan; http://www.facebook.com/SpecialOlympicsNC and http://www.youtube.com/BeAFanSONC.

Over the Edge Fundraiser Raises $215,000 for Special Olympics North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C, (Oct. 24, 2012) – The unique and thrilling “Over the Edge” fundraiser for Special Olympics North Carolina held in Raleigh on Oct. 6 and Charlotte on Oct. 13 raised $215,000 for Special Olympics NC athletes; according to Keith L. Fishburne, president/CEO Special Olympics North Carolina. Ninety-six area thrill seekers made a grand impact on thousands of people with intellectual disabilities when they rappelled over 32 stories of the Wells Fargo Capitol Center in Raleigh raising $145,000. In Charlotte, 60 rappellers dared to scale The VUE-Charlotte on 5th raising $70,000.

All rappellers each raised a minimum of $1,000 for the opportunity to go Over the Edge.

“The Over the Edge event was a great success with so many people willing to rappel down in both cities,” said Fishburne. “Special Olympics North Carolina is very appreciative to all the rappellers and sponsors for the funds they raised to support our mission, which allows us to show that people with intellectual disabilities can have a far greater impact on our communities than many believe.”

Special thanks to Over the Edge Raleigh sponsors: Cafe Carolina and Bakery, A Small Miracle Inc., RPG Solutions, Spectrum Properties, LORD Corporation, Sport Clips, Carolina Rollergirls, and Shoreline Productions.

In Charlotte, thanks to event sponsors Cafe Carolina & Bakery, Choate Construction, Sport Clips, Northwood Ravin, Adams Outdoor Advertising, The VUE-Charlotte on 5th, and Shoreline Productions.

Special Olympics North Carolina offers year round sports training and competition for more than 38,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities. These athletes inspire greatness through their success and provide motivation to the thousands of coaches, sports officials, local program committee members and event organizers involved in Special Olympics statewide. SONC offers Olympic-type competition in 19 sports on local and state levels. It is one of the largest Special Olympics programs in the world in terms of registered athletes. Visit Special Olympics North Carolina at www.specialolympicsnc.com. Engage with us on http://twitter.com/sonc_beafan; http://www.facebook.com/SpecialOlympicsNC and http://www.youtube.com/BeAFanSONC.

Cafe Carolina Raises More than $22,000 for Special Olympics North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. — Cafe Carolina and Bakery raised $22,528 for Special Olympics North Carolina as part of its sponsorship in the Over the Edge fundraiser to benefit Special Olympics, according to Keith L. Fishburne, president/CEO of Special Olympics North Carolina.

Cafe Carolina raised the funds through their “A Sweet Way to Help” promotion. Customers were asked to donate $1 to Special Olympics in exchange for one of CafeCarolina’s oversized fresh-baked cookies. All CafeCarolina restaurants participated in the month-long promotion. Cafe Carolina has been a long-time supporter of Special Olympics and the cause is especially close to the heart of the Cafe Carolina team as there is at least one individual with intellectual disabilities working in every store and most are Special Olympics athletes.

In addition to the financial support, Cafe Carolina also opened its Wachovia store on Oct. 1 to cater to event guests. The Wachovia building store served as base camp for the Over the Edge event. In addition to providing meals to rappellers and volunteers the store, normally only open Monday through Friday, opened for business to all spectators and provided a place to watch the live video streaming of the event provided by Shoreline Productions. The store also donated all sales of bakery items on event day to Special Olympics NC. Cafe Carolina will also provide food and beverages at the Over the Edge – Charlotte event on Oct. 29.

In the second year of the “Over the Edge” for Special Olympics North Carolina fundraiser in Raleigh, 112 area thrill seekers made a grand impact on the local community and touched thousands of people with intellectual disabilities when they rappelled from the 32-story Wachovia Capitol Center in Downtown Raleigh. The unique and thrilling event raised more than $150,000. In addition to corporate sponsorships, the rappellers each raised a minimum of $1,000 for the “privilege” to go Over the Edge.

“Special Olympics North Carolina is very grateful to Cafe Carolina for sponsoring the Over the Edge event for a second straight year and so generously helping us raise funds through the cookie campaign,” said Fishburne. “We are very appreciative of all Cafe Carolina did to make the Over the Edge event so successful.”

There is still a chance to rappel for Special Olympics this year. Interested participants can register and rappel in Charlotte on Saturday, Oct. 29 from The VUE- Charlotte. For more information and to register, visit www.overtheedgenc.com.

About Café Carolina and Bakery
Since 1995, Café Carolina and Bakery has offered a “warm welcome” to customers, with fresh made sandwiches, soups and salads in a friendly, upscale atmosphere. There are six locations across North Carolina including: Raleigh, Cary, Chapel Hill, Greensboro and Charlotte. Cafe Carolina and Bakery is owned by Boddie-Noell Enterprises, a family-owned restaurant franchise business headquartered in Rocky Mount. For more information, visit the website at www.cafecarolina.com.

About Special Olympics North Carolina
Special Olympics North Carolina offers year-round sports training and competition for more than 38,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities. These athletes inspire greatness through their success and provide motivation to the thousands of coaches, sports officials, local program committee members and event organizers involved in Special Olympics statewide. SONC offers Olympic-type competition in 19 sports on local and state levels. It is one of the largest Special Olympics Programs in the world in terms of registered athletes. Engage with us on http://twitter.com/sonc_beafan; http://www.facebook.com/SpecialOlympicsNC and http://www.youtube.com/BeAFanSONC.

Cafe Carolina a Part of Saturday’s ‘Over The Edge’ Rappelling Event
Raising Funds for Special Olympics North Carolina

 Cafe at Wachovia Building Location Open As Volunteers Rappel 30-Story Building

RALEIGH (Oct. 2, 2010) – Cafe Carolina and Bakery will be providing food and hosting participants as one of the sponsors of Special Olympics North Carolina’s Over The Edge rappelling event at the 30-story Wachovia Building in downtown Raleigh this weekend.

Cafe Carolina’s Fayetteville Street location will be at the center (or bottom for rapellers) of the activities all day Saturday as volunteers strap on rappelling equipment and work their way down the 30 floors under careful supervision.

The Fayetteville Street Cafe Carolina location is not normally open on weekends but will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday to serve the crowd of spectators expected for the event.  As a sponsor of the event, Cafe Carolina will be providing free meals for volunteers and participants and hosting a live video feed of the day’s activities.

During the month of September, Cafe Carolina has raised funds for Special Olympics through its “A Sweet Way to Help” fundraiser at all locations in North Carolina.

Customers who donate a dollar to Special Olympics receive a free fresh-baked cookie and are invited to write their name on a donation certificate posted in the restaurant. The fundraiser continues through Saturday at all locations. Customers should look for the “A Sweet Way to Help” displays.

“We’re excited to be right in the middle of Saturday’s event and have thoroughly enjoyed joining with our customers in raising money for Special Olympics North Carolina,” said Ron Hines, director of operations for Cafe Carolina.  “Special Olympics is very important to us as we have several Special Olympics athletes who are members of our employee family.  In fact, we have two managers who raised funds independently and will be rappelling.”

Cafe Carolina locations in the Triangle include the Wachovia Building location at 150 Fayetteville St., 401 Daniels St. in Raleigh’s CameronVillage, The Arboretum in Cary at 137 Weston Parkway, and MeadowmontVillage in Chapel Hill.  There is also a Cafe Carolina location in the FriendlyShopping Center in Greensboro

Cafe Carolina and Bakery Teams Up with USO of North Carolina

        to Feed Returning Troops

RALEIGH, N.C. (Dec. 17, 2009) – Cafe Carolina and Bakery locations throughout the Triangle have teamed up with USO of North Carolina to help feed the troops as they are traveling home to be with their families for the holidays on Saturday, Dec. 19.

Cafe Carolina and Bakery will serve tasty menu items including turkey, ham, and chicken salad sandwiches, chips, pretzels and cookies to approximately 350 troops as they arrive and depart from the Raleigh Durham InternationalAirport. They will serve two meals; one at 10:30 a.m. and another at 3:30 p.m. Team members from local Cafe Carolina and Bakery restaurants will be on hand to help distribute the food to the troops.

“We are so grateful for Cafe Carolina and their desire to support the USO-NC and the troops that sacrifice so much to serve this great country, said Mike Langley, acting director of USO of North Carolina – Raleigh Durham Airport Center. “We are excited to partner with them in this and future endeavors.”

“Cafe Carolina and Bakery is proud to support the service men and women of our country and always makes giving back to our community a top priority,” said Ron Hines, director of operations for Cafe Carolina and Bakery. “The USO-NC does great things for our troops and the Cafe Carolina family is excited to partner with them for this event.”

Cafe Carolina is committed to supporting the communities in which we operate. Earlier this year, Cafe Carolina raised funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Children’s Flight of Hope.

The USO of North Carolina is a private, nonprofit organization. Their mission is to serve and support America’s military and their families. They operate four centers in North Carolina: Jacksonville/Camp Lejeune, Raleigh-DurhamInternationalAirport, Charlotte-DouglasInternationalAirport and Fort Bragg/Fayetteville. They provide morale and recreation services to 220,000 service members and their families annually. To learn more please visit www.uso-nc.org.

Cafe Carolina Achieves Success with Shamrock Contributions

in the Fight Against Muscular Dystrophy

RALEIGH, N.C. (April 29, 2009) — Cafe Carolina and Bakery’s locations raised $24,528 this year for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) by participating in the Shamrocks Against Dystrophy campaign.

During the months of February and March, customers at Cafe Carolina locations in the Triangle, Greensboro and Charlotte were encouraged to purchase a $1 green MDA Shamrock.  Once purchased, the Shamrocks, including the customer’s signature, were hung for display in Cafe Carolina to create a festive St. Patrick’s Day atmosphere. In exchange, each customer who purchased a Shamrock received coupons for discounts in the cafe.

A portion of the total raised by Cafe Carolina will help send 30 children to MDA summer camps this year. Offering a fun, safe outdoor experience, the camps give participating youngsters the opportunity to develop important life skills such as confidence, independence and social ability.

“We are very grateful for what our Cafe Carolina customers and employees provided this year for the Shamrocks Against Dystrophy campaign,” said Ron Hines, director of Operations for Café Carolina. “This contribution will play a direct role in helping affected children in our local communities attend MDA camp. We’re very proud of that – especially in a tough economic time for everybody.”

“MDA is proud and truly fortunate to have the partnership of Cafe Carolina,” said David Stephenson, regional representative for MDA. “We salute the commitment and enthusiasm of these wonderful folks and the Cafe Carolina patrons who continue to give our families help and hope.”

The contributions will go to help with care for local children and adults affected by one of the 43 diseases for which the MDA provides treatment. The local services that the MDA provides include wheelchair, leg brace, and communication device payment assistance, support groups, professional health education, and care at affiliated clinics at Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Roanoke Neurologica lCenter, the Medical College of Virginia and elsewhere.