News Article

Edison State College and Darden Restaurants Partner to Advance Upward Bound Program

May 2, 2013

Edison State College Upward Bound Program, a math & science program that mentors and prepares high school students with tutoring services and college preparation skills, has been selected to receive a $2,000 grant as part of the Restaurant Community Grants program from the Darden Foundation, the charitable arm of Darden Restaurants Inc.

“Edison State College is always looking for ways to assist students as they pursue their educational goals,” said Antranette Forbes, M.P.A., Grants Development Specialist at Edison State College.  “We are honored that Darden is awarding this grant to Edison because it will not only help students, but also help the community relationships that Edison State College wants to cultivate in our area.”

“Our employees are incredibly passionate about the communities where they live, and our restaurant teams are in a position to understand and help address the needs of their communities,” said Drew Madsen, Darden Restaurants’ president and chief operating officer. “We’re all proud to build on that passion through the grants program and bring real, local citizenship to life by enabling each restaurant to make a difference in their backyard.”

The grants program, now in its second year, empowers each restaurant in the Darden family of brands to help award a $1,000 grant to support local community programs. The donation will enable Edison State College’s Upward Bound project to empower high school students with the academic skills and motivation necessary for persistence and success in high school, college and beyond. Upward Bound currently services more than 60 students from Dunbar and Island Coast high schools. Grant funding will go directly to programming support such as school supplies.

Darden’s Red Lobster, Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, The Capital Grille and Eddie V’s brands participated in the program. Many restaurants and brands worked together to award one nonprofit organization with a larger grant and make a greater impact in their community.  The restaurants will award more than $1.9 million to more than 850 exceptional nonprofit organizations in the U.S. and Canada. Nonprofits receiving grants support one of Darden’s three key focus areas: access to postsecondary education, preservation of natural resources and hunger. Grant funding for the Upward Bound Program specifically came from local restaurants Bahama Breeze located at 14701 S. Tamiami Trail Fort Myers, FL and Red Lobster located at 3801 Cleveland Ave Fort Myers, FL.

For more information about the Darden Foundation, please visit www.dardenfoundation.com. For additional information on Edison State College Upward Bound Program please visit http://www.edison.edu/upwardbound/.

About Edison State College

Celebrating 50 years of excellence, Edison State College is Southwest Florida’s largest, most accessible and affordable institution of higher education. Proud to be tobacco-free, Edison State serves more than 24,000 students across five counties and through Edison Online.

About Darden Restaurants

Darden Restaurants, Inc., (NYSE: DRI), the world’s largest full-service restaurant company, owns and operates more than 2,000 restaurants that generate over $8.0 billion in annual sales. Headquartered in Orlando, Fla., and employing more than 190,000 people, Darden is recognized for a culture that rewards caring for and responding to people. In 2013, Darden was named to the FORTUNE “100 Best Companies to Work For” list for the third year in a row and is the only full-service restaurant company to ever appear on the list. Our restaurant brands – Red Lobster, Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, The Capital Grille, Eddie V’s and Yard House – reflect the rich diversity of those who dine with us. Our brands are built on deep insights into what our guests want. For more information, please visit, www.darden.com.

The Darden Foundation

The Darden Restaurants, Inc. Foundation is the charitable arm of Darden Restaurants, Inc. The Foundation’s mission is to maintain a spirit of volunteerism and philanthropy as defining characteristics of Darden Restaurants. Since 1995, the Darden Foundation has awarded more than $60 million in grants, with $7.2 million given in fiscal year 2012. The Darden Foundation carries out its mission by focusing philanthropic efforts and resources on the following program areas: Access to Postsecondary Education, Preservation of Natural Resources and Good Neighbor Grants. For more information, please visit, www.dardenfoundation.com.

Last Updated: May 2, 2013