Carino's

Thank you for helping us to help others!  As part of Autism Awareness Month, we took on the challenge to sell 50,000 Pasta Harvest entrées during April in order to raise a $50,000 donation to support individuals and families affected by autism.  We asked you to help us achieve this goal, and you answered wholeheartedly.  Through the support of our loyal guests, we are thrilled to present Autism Speaks and Autism Society each with a $25,000 check to support their important efforts.  We love giving back to the communities we serve, and of course we could not do all this without our customers.

The Carino's Foundation will continue to stay busy this spring.  Today we are proud to sponsor the Carino's Clays for Kids skeet shooting tournament, benefiting First Tee of Greater Austin.  First Tee is a youth development organization that provides young people with educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values, and promote healthy choices through the game of golf.  On May 2nd, we'll help with the Hunger Busters Golf Classic in Dallas, supporting their "Feed the Need" program to provide an important third meal to kids who otherwise might not eat while away from the school's free lunch program. 

Our local restaurants are also active in communities all across the country, hosting benefit nights for local schools and other organizations.  If you're in the Boise/Meridian area on May 10th, stop by either of our locations for dinner and help us raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.  Be sure to follow us on Facebook to stay up to date on all things Carino's, including any benefit nights at your favorite Carino's location.

I hope you feel as good as I do to know that when you dine at Carino's Italian, you get more than delicious and unique Italian cuisine - you help empower us to be a good corporate citizen in your community.  On behalf of all of us in the Carino's Italian family, I truly thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Creed Ford III
President, Carino's Foundation
President and CEO, Carino's Italian

By the time the dust settled at the 2nd Annual Gold Stirrup Horse Show March 14, about 60 special horseback riders went home tired, happy and proud, after proving that just because you might have a disability, that doesn’t mean you’re handicapped in life.

The horse show for equestrians with cognitive or physical disabilities was sponsored for the second year in a row by Carino’s Italian restaurants/The Carino’s Foundation, and was held in conjunction with the annual Star of Texas Fair & Rodeo here in Austin, Texas. 

In 2009, there were about 32 exhibitors from three Central Texas riding groups, but this year, that number nearly doubled with participants from Austin, Manor, Leander, Georgetown, Manchaca, San Marcos and Baytown.

Mid-way through the day, the riding clubs assembled in the arena and one of the teen-aged participants sang the National Anthem ---- from her wheelchair.  The Gold Club top group award went to Marbridge Equestrian Team of Manchaca, a special-needs living and learning facility for adults with cognitive challenges. Marbridge is also one of the long-time beneficiaries of The Carino’s Foundation.

The horses used in the events are usually involved in daily or weekly riding activities, and many are privately owned, or ‘loaners,’ from owners involved with the special riding programs. The horses themselves vary widely in breed, style and age.

In fact, one horse used by Marbridge was one of ‘mine’ -- a Spanish mustang . After attending the Miss Rodeo Austin coronation (also sponsored by Carino’s), I stopped by to watch the afternoon action at the horse show, and got to see “Spirit” do his thing. Apparently, he did well, because he really took care of his riders and even won a blue ribbon or two.

Those of us watching the action from the sidelines saw a few special moments. For instance, one 10-year-old girl blew a kiss from horseback to her parents in the stands, as she rode past them. Another rider tumbled to the dirt after her horse shied away from something. Brushing off her show-ring attire, she said she was OK --- but her horse ‘was just a little uptight.’  How’s that for resilience?  

It was nice to see several Carino’s employees with family members and friends volunteering throughout the day; one of our home-office employees was also co-chairman of the show.

This event is just one of many worthwhile activities and sponsorships made possible by donations raised at our Carino’s Charity Golf Tournament, sponsored annually by The Carino’s Foundation. This year, golfers will tee-off at an Austin-area location on Oct. 13th.  More details to come!

Sincerely,

Creed Ford III

As we were walking off the 18th green, I had a sense of joy come over me knowing that we just completed the 11th Annual Carino’s Foundation Charity Golf Classic raising $225,000 for various charities throughout our restaurant markets. The participation was encouraging considering the economy and the pressure companies and individuals are under to tighten their expenses. The weather was perfect, the course and the scenery were incredible and we all had a great time.

The night before the tournament we were honored to hear from three of the charities we sponsor through the Carino’s Foundation. Jana Kay, Head of Training and Development at Marbridge Foundation, spoke about their equine program for special need residents at Marbridge. The funding from our charity created the Golden Stirrup Event for special needs equine riders throughout the state, held for the first time at the Star of Texas Rodeo in Austin last year.

Later in the evening, Kent Burress spoke about the Carino’s Family Room at the Austin Ronald McDonald House, made possible by donations from the Carino’s Foundation. The Carino’s Family Room provides a warming space for families while their children are being treated at Dell’s Children’s Hospital.

Finally, James Poysky talked about another of our beneficiaries, the Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), working for the cure for Duchenne. As you read in earlier posts, we honored Zack Stark by dedicating this year’s tournament in his name. James spoke of Zack who passed away this September at age 22 from Duchenne. Zack was an inspiration to all of us; his love for life, his passion for painting and his support for other boys struggling with the disease were truly incredible. James also shared his personal story of dealing with Duchenne in his family when they found out their young son had Duchenne at the age of two. He gave us an update of the ways PPMD is working with groups to find cures and how they best utilize their resources in the fight against Duchenne.



Along with the celebration of giving, we also honored our vendors by presenting the Vendor of the Year Award to National Food & Beverage. Aaron Edelen accepted the award, along with Johnny Lee Stanley, for National Food & Beverage who provides Carino’s seasoned oil and garlic.

Our vendors are true partners in our mission to provide the best Italian cuisine possible.

To all our vendors, charities, staff and guests, thank you for making this event a true success

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Carino’s Charitable Foundation, and as you know we contribute to organizations whose sole purpose is to help people, especially children, have a better life. Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy is one of those organizations that we have supported for years.

Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy is dedicated to finding a cure for Duchenne’s and supporting the families that are affected by this disease.  Duchenne’s is a form of muscular dystrophy affecting young boys, restricting their life expectancy to their mid-teens.  Fired Up's Co-Founder Norman Abdallah had a nephew named Zack who was diagnosed with Duchenne’s at age five.  Zack passed away in early September at the young of age 22.  Zack lived his life fully, with a zest and determination that was inspiring and did not see himself as “disabled” person.  He enjoyed his artwork, his friends and family, but also helped support other boys struggling with Duchenne’s.   

On October 14 we will hold our 11th annual charity golf tournament and this year we will dedicate the tournament to Zack.  Zack is an inspiration to all of us at Carino’s.

Also in celebration of our 10th anniversary, we have introduced Carino’s Cares.  This will serve as the giving arm of the Carino’s Charitable Foundation.  Carino’s Cares was introduced with a “Give Back” Day at the Restaurant Support Center where all our staff members were encouraged to volunteer at one of our local Austin charities during a work weekday.  You will be hearing more about Carino’s Cares through updates on this blog and at your local Carino’s.
 
We would like to thank all of you including our team members, guests and counterparts for everything you do in the local Carino’s communities to continue to give back. 

Welcome to the first post on our newly created Carino's Foundation blog.  After years of wanting to take our story to the masses, we finally have everything together and have created a place where we can share our experiences and stories of helping out our local communities.  From corporate fundraising initiatives organized at the Restaurant Support Center in Austin to local helping hands in our communities, this blog will hopefully inform you of all that is going on with the Carino's Foundation and motivate you and others to take apart in our cause-related efforts.

The Carino's Foundation has been around since the inception of Fired Up, Inc. (the mother company of the Carino's Italian brand), so we are not new by any means.  However, we have felt that our voice has not been loud enough and this blog will help our outreach to all of the Carino's friends, family and partners. 

As of this summer, the Carino's Foundation has raised over $2.4 million for charities across the United States.  That's only since 1997, so we are just getting started.  We could not have raised this much money without the love, support and dedication from our team, great customers and the best vendors in the world.  We understand the grips of the economy, and that times are tough in this day and age; however, we will keep marching forward to helping the communities that support Carino's.

In the future this blog will evolve with...

• Videos from all of our events
• Online Donations
• Up to Date Event Information
• Helpful Resources that will inform you on how to get involved

Also, we will be honoring a "Carino's Champion" once every three months.  This can be a person, group or organization that has taken the extra step in helping their community.  This Champion can be a Carino's team member, vendor, customer or just someone that cares!  The gesture does not have to be big or elaborate (it definitely can be though), but most of all impactful.  If you would like to nominate someone of their efforts, please send their story to social@carinos.com.

At any time if you want to reach out to us, tell us how we are doing or just reach out and say Hi!; feel free to contact us here or on email at social@carinos.com.

Thank you again for your time and efforts for our cause (and please come back and comment often).