PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- YoCream International, Inc. (Pink Sheets: YOCM), raised $8,000 for the Brian Grant Foundation at a fundraising event held at their Company Store in Portland Oregon. The Company and Foundation announced that all sales revenue generated on July 31st at the YoCream Frozen Yogurt Company Store would go to support Parkinson's awareness, education and research and Portlanders showed up in crowds to show their support. Grant was diagnosed with Early Onset Parkinson's at 36.
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"The monies raised by YoCream will be used to promote awareness and increase education of Parkinson's," explained Brian Grant. "The support from my home town and its citizens for me and my foundation is extraordinary. It means so much to me and all of us who have been and will be diagnosed with PD."
This fundraising event kicked off a weekend of activities to generate awareness of the disease. Grant's successful SHAKE IT TILL WE MAKE IT benefit included a celebrity gala dinner and golf tournament and raised $350,000 which was given to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research, the leading source of financing for Parkinson's research to speed a cure.
YoCream will continue its support of Grant's foundation by donating 20% of its new FroYo Shake sales through 2010. "We support Brian and his leadership efforts to raise awareness about Early Onset Parkinson's, and we would like to continue to keep this in the forefront of our customer's minds," stated Tyler Bargas, Director of Sales at YoCream. "Customers can customize their own frozen yogurt shake by adding any of the more than 30 toppings to the FroYo Shake base in the self serve frozen yogurt store and feel like they are helping a fellow Portlander and his cause." Like all of YoCream's Frozen Yogurt products, FroYo Shake contains high levels of beneficial live and active yogurt cultures.
About Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's disease is a chronic, degenerative neurological disorder that affects one in 100 people over age 60. While advancing age remains the greatest risk factor, PD can strike people even under age 30. The average age at onset is 60, however, people have been diagnosed as young as 18. Estimates of the number of people living with the disease vary, but recent research indicates that at least one million people in the United States, and more than five million worldwide, have Parkinson's.
About The Brian Grant Foundation
Established in 2010, the Brian Grant Foundation supports efforts to build awareness and education of Parkinson's disease in order to increase earlier diagnosis, educate patients and their families, and provide a viable forum for people affected by Parkinson's. After playing professional basketball for 12 seasons in the NBA, Brian Grant was diagnosed in November of 2008 with young onset Parkinson's disease. Since, he has become an advocate for finding a cure and an inspiration for those living with PD. http://www.shakeittillwemakeit.com/
About YoCream International, Inc.
YoCream International, Inc. is a world leader in the frozen yogurt industry. Since 1977, YoCream has pioneered the innovation, production and marketing of frozen yogurt, frozen desserts and beverages. The Company operates a state-of-the-art production facility in Portland, Oregon, to manufacture its "true" frozen yogurt, which contains the real yogurt that is fermented and cultured on site daily. YoCream offers over 110 flavors of frozen yogurt, ice cream, frozen custard, sorbet, smoothies, frozen carbonated beverages, slushes and frozen drink mixes. In addition to the YoCream brand, the Company also provides other branded flavors such as Hershey's(TM) (e.g. Hershey's(TM) Kisses(TM), Reese's(TM), York(TM), Jolly Rancher(TM), Twizzlers(TM), Bubble Yum(TM)) and Rockstar(TM) under exclusive licenses. YoCream's end-user customers number in the thousands and include marquee convenience stores, quality quick service restaurants, warehouse stores, prestigious eating establishments, large grocery chains, frozen yogurt shops, colleges, military and government foodservice locations, international restaurants and neighborhood stores involving over 250 specialty and full line distributors in the supply chain. The Company also operates the YoCream Frozen Yogurt Company Store and Showroom in Portland Oregon, which is open daily to the public. The company store is a place for consumers and YoCream's foodservice customers to enjoy YoCream products. The store is a fully functional training and business concept resource center for YoCream's representatives to help the operators and distributors that purchase YoCream products gain ideas and insights for building business together. http://www.yocream.com/
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YoCream International, Inc.
CONTACT: Suzanne Gardner of YoCream, +1-503-572-9195,
suzanneg@yocream.com; or Sara Perrin of The Brian Grant Foundation,
+1-503-789-2791, sara@perrinpromo.com
Web Site: http://www.yocream.com/
