PJ Tampa Bay Story Winner of the Week

Here is the winner of this weeks story contest for PJ Tampa Bay:

From: Robyn Huber

TAMPA, FL – The 1Voice Foundation, a non-profit charity dedicated to supporting children with cancer and their families, is working with the Hillsborough County School District to open the 1Voice Academy, the first school in the United State for children with cancer.

The Foundation is kicking off its $5 million capital funding campaign with an open house at the Home Theater Gallery, 3300 S. Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa, on Thursday, March 24 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. “Children on treatment who miss school fall behind academically and resent their disease and the alienation it causes even more,” said Mary Ann Massolio, the Executive Director of 1Voice Foundation whose own son passed away from cancer. “Plus, many parents have to miss work to stay home with them. This can lead to financial devastation and add to the 80% divorce rate that parents of chronically-ill children face. The 1Voice Academy will provide children with a safe learning environment while their immune systems are compromised, such as in the 7 to 10 days following chemotherapy.”

“I always have to be vigilant about whether there is a flu or strep going around school,” said Natalie Willis, whose daughter, Mandy, was diagnosed with cancer when she was 7. “Mandy had to miss a lot of days even though she felt well, but she couldn’t risk coming into contact with a sick child. The truth is some parents send their kids to school even with a low fever or other signs of infection.”

“One of the greatest challenges we faced with Daniel were his counts were horrible, but otherwise he felt good,” said Holly Wade, whose 9-year-old son passed away from cancer. “My choice was to have him homebound, and he missed being around people his own age and his own friends. With this Academy, kids can be around classmates who aren’t going to look at you funny because you’re bald, or because you have to get up and throw up, or have an IV bag hanging off of you or a shunt. It’s an opportunity to make these kids feel as normal as possible in the most abnormal conditions you can imagine.”

Holly and her husband, Capt. Bill Wade with Tampa Fire Rescue, will be among the families on hand at the open house.

In addition to offering classes, the 1Voice Academy will offer after-school programs for tutoring, art and music, and will provide support groups and programs for parents and siblings.

About 1Voice Foundation 
The 1Voice Foundation began in 2008 when six members of the Tampa Bay community – each having prior experience with pediatric cancer programs – realized organizations focused on research and organizations focused on assisting families were competing for dollars instead of working together. The 1Voice Foundation’s Executive Director is MaryAnn Massolio, who was the executive director of the Children’s Cancer Center for 10 years and who knows firsthand what it’s like when your child is diagnosed with cancer. In addition to researching cures for cancer, The 1Voice Foundation provides resources and support groups for patients and their families, outings for children with cancer, scholarships, and funeral assistance. The non-profit organization currently does not receive any state or federal funding and is dependent on corporate and private donations.

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THOUSANDS OF PIZZA LOVERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY VYING FOR A SLICE OF THE PAPA JOHN’S PIE IN RECIPE CHALLENGE

Three Weeks Remaining in “Papa’s Specialty Pizza Challenge,”
Winner to Receive Portion of Sales Dollars for Best Combination
of Papa John’s “Better Ingredients”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (May 25, 2010) – More than 7,000 pizza lovers spanning all 50 states think they have what it takes to create Papa John’s next menu item – and win a portion of the sales dollars in return. But there’s only room for one new pizza on Papa John’s menu. Which recipe will come out on top?

Last month, Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) asked its loyal customers to share their ideas for the next great specialty pizza on Facebook as part of the company’s first ever “Papa’s Specialty Pizza Challenge.” Thousands of recipes later – and with three weeks still remaining in the contest – Papa John’s finds itself sifting through a number of top contenders.

Recipes have been inspired by far-away places. There’s “The Big Texan” from a customer in Cambellsburg, Ind., “The Kentuckian” from a Papa John’s fan in Las Vegas, Nev., “Mediterranean Medley” in Dayton, Ohio, plus hundreds of interpretations of what constitutes a “Hawaiian” pizza.

Pizzas have also been named in honor of loved ones, like “Dad’s Ham & Cheese” in Lexington, Ky., “Mom’s Not Cooking Tonight!” in Overland Park, Ks., and “Grammy’s Favorite” in Valparaiso, Ind.

And then there’s pure creativity, such as “The New PB&J” from Augusta, Ga., “Kabobbin’ Kick” in Cuddy, Pa., and “The TNT! (Thin ‘n’ Tangy!) from Escalon, Calif.

“Every day there’s a new recipe, story, or name that catches our eye as customers have come out in droves to share their favorite combinations of Papa John’s ‘Better Ingredients,’” said Papa John’s Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Varga. “The passion for our quality pizza and fresh ingredients is evident in every entry.”

Through June 14, participants can enter “Papa’s Specialty Pizza Challenge” at www.facebook.com/papajohns

, where they will be asked to create and name their very own specialty pie on Papa John’s fresh, never frozen original dough with sauce, cheese and a combination of up to seven Papa John’s better ingredients, including:

Fresh-Packed Tomato Sauce: Made from vine-ripened tomatoes, which go from the vine to the can in an average of six hours

Cheese made from 100 percent mozzarella

100 percent Real Meats: Bacon, Beef, Ham, Grilled Chicken, Pepperoni, Sausage, Spicy Italian Sausage

Fresh-Cut Vegetables: Onions, Green Peppers and Roma Tomatoes

Other high-quality ingredients: Including baby portabella mushrooms from Greece and black olives grown in the rich soils of southern Spain

But Papa’s Specialty Pizza Challenge isn’t just about recipes. Participants must also share in 250 words or less what makes their pizza so special for a chance to win. Judges will take the pizza creation, the pizza name and the story into consideration when completing their score sheets.

All entries are being featured in a gallery on Papa John’s Facebook page, from which “Papa” John Schnatter himself and his team of experts will choose ten semi-finalists. Those ten recipes will then be tested and tasted by Schnatter, a secret celebrity judge and other judges at company headquarters in Louisville, Ky. Schnatter, who personally developed many of the specialty pizza combinations currently offered by Papa John’s, and the other judges will trim the choices to the three best recipes, which will be showcased temporarily on Papa John’s menu (August 2 – August 29), with the ultimate winner being the highest-selling pizza!

And because the stakes – a portion of sales dollars from the winner’s recipe – are so high Papa John’s is offering the top three finalists a marketing budget of $1,000 to help drive sales of their respective pizzas.

The grand prize winner will also receive free Papa John’s pizza for life as well as a chance to appear in a “Papa’s in the House” TV commercial. For more details on “Papa’s Specialty Pizza Challenge,” including official contest rules, visit www.facebook.com/papajohns.

Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) is the world's third largest pizza company. For nine of the last 10 years, consumers have rated Papa John's No. 1 in customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John's also was honored by Restaurants & Institutions Magazine (R&I) with the 2009 Gold Award for Consumers’ Choice in Chains in the pizza segment and was named 2007 Pizza Today Chain of the Year. For more information about the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa John's at www.papajohns.com.

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