MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The King has never been a man of many words. To date, the BURGER KING® brand icon has walked prize-fighters into high-profile boxing bouts and has sat alongside prize-horse-owners in the winner’s box at the world’s most prestigious equestrian event. But despite the public repeatedly asking the King to simply say something, he hasn’t made a peep. Until now.
With approximately 1,000,000* people in the United States of America that are functionally Deaf, the King is breaking his “silence” to raise awareness and chat it up with the American Sign Language community; using ASL of course. Friday, April 15th is the 199-year anniversary of “National American Sign Language Day”; a day of observance celebrating American Sign Language.** The King will bring speakers and non-speakers of ASL together and will give fans the opportunity to help create the “official sign for the WHOPPER® sandwich.”
“The BURGER KING® brand is built not only on including everyone, but celebrating everyone,” said Fernando Machado, senior vice president of global brand management, BURGER KING® brand. “National ASL Day felt like a perfect opportunity for the King to extend our brand mantra and engage with the ASL community on such a great day.”
As part of the initiative, BURGER KING® restaurants will release a poignant online film. The BURGER KING McLAMORESM Foundation will also make a scholarship donation benefiting deserving students dedicating their studies to ASL language and interpretations.
To watch the video, visit www.youtube.com/BurgerKing and join the conversation by tweeting #WhopperSign to @BurgerKing on Twitter.
*http://jdsde.oxfordjournals.org/content/11/1/112.full
ABOUT THE BURGER KING® BRAND
Founded in 1954, the BURGER KING® brand is the second largest fast food hamburger chain in the world. The original HOME OF THE WHOPPER®, the BURGER KING® system operates more than 14,000 locations in approximately 100 countries and U.S. territories. Almost 100 percent of BURGER KING® restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, many of them family-owned operations that have been in business for decades. The BURGER KING® brand is owned by Restaurant Brands International Inc. (TSX,NYSE:QSR), one of the world's largest quick service restaurant companies with more than $23 billion in system sales and over 19,000 restaurants. To learn more about the BURGER KING® brand, please visit the BURGER KING® brand website at www.bk.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT THE BURGER KING McLAMORE℠ FOUNDATION
The BURGER KING McLAMORE℠ Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit public charity, whose global efforts are aimed at supporting the advancement of education. Inspired by BURGER KING® Brand Co-founder James W. McLamore, its mission is to make a positive impact in communities where BURGER KING® restaurants operate by building brighter futures through education and providing emergency hardship assistance to members of the BURGER KING® family. The Foundation also partners with select charitable organizations worldwide that share its mission of advancing education. To learn more about the BURGER KING McLAMORE℠ Foundation, visit www.bkmclamorefoundation.org, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or call 305-378-3186.
ABOUT THE BURGER KING℠ SCHOLARS PROGRAM
The BURGER KING℠ Scholars program is the flagship program of the BURGER KING McLAMORE℠ Foundation - a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity, endeavoring to make a positive impact in the communities in which we work and live, in collaboration with the extended BURGER KING® family. Created in memory of BURGER KING® Brand Co-founder James W. McLamore, the BURGER KING℠ Scholars program provides scholarships to high school students and BURGER KING® employees and their children and spouses that can be used to fund post-secondary education. The scholarships are made possible every year through the generous support of BURGER KING® restaurant guests, Burger King Corporation, vendor partnerships, the McLamore Family Foundation and, most importantly, through the fundraising efforts of BURGER KING® franchisees and the BURGER KING McLAMORE℠ Foundation. To learn more about the BURGER KING℠ Scholars program and the BURGER KING McLAMORE℠ Foundation, visit www.bkmclamorefoundation.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.