CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 2, 2025--
As part of its ongoing commitment to fostering education and literacy, The Bojangles Foundation announced the 47 winners of its annual literacy grant program. This year’s recipients, representing diverse nonprofits and community organizations dedicated to advancing reading and learning, each received a $1,000 grant to support their impactful literacy initiatives. A list of all grant recipients can be found here.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250102736711/en/
The Bojangles Foundation awarded grants to deserving nonprofits and organizations in 11 states, including California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, reinforcing its dedication to promoting literacy and empowering communities across its footprint. The funding will enable these organizations to enhance reading programs, provide critical educational resources and create opportunities for students and learners of all ages to thrive.
Each grant recipient is using the funds to bring innovative literacy tools to their communities. Projects include book vending machines for children, literacy bags with educational resources and reading corners stocked in public spaces. Literacy programs for underserved groups, like resources for pediatric cancer patients and children with Down syndrome, provide essential, tailored support. Other initiatives include financial education programs for students and workshops for educators. From peaceful hammock reading gardens to civic literacy programs, each project inspires a lasting love for reading and learning.
“Empowering organizations that are making a lasting difference through literacy and education is truly at the heart of what we do," said Ken Reynolds, executive director of The Bojangles Foundation. “At Bojangles, we believe that access to education isn’t just a resource—it’s a pathway to stronger communities and brighter futures. We are proud to support initiatives that foster learning, ignite potential and create opportunities for individuals and families to thrive.”
The Bojangles Foundation Fund was established in July 2022 to support the three pillars of Bojangles’ corporate social responsibility plan: literacy, military appreciation and strengthening community. The fund is a component of Foundation For The Carolinas, which manages competitive grant programs that invest in communities throughout the region.
About Bojangles, Inc.
Bojangles is a Carolina-born restaurant chain specializing in craveable Southern food made by hand from real recipes. Founded in 1977 as a single location in Charlotte, N.C., the beloved brand continues to grow – currently at around 800 company-owned and franchised restaurants – bringing its focus on food and people along with it. For more information about Bojangles’ handcrafted approach to food and community impact, visitwww.bojangles.com. To join in on the fan fun, follow Bojangles onInstagram,TikTokandTwitter.
Bojangles Foundation Invests $47,000 to Boost Literacy and Empower Communities Across 11 States. (Photo: Business Wire)
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González, who the United States recognized as the winner of last year's presidential election, kicked off a tour of Latin America on Saturday, just days before President Nicolás Maduro is set to be sworn in for a third term in defiance of international pressure.
A crowd of a few hundred Venezuelan migrants broke into shouts of “Edmundo, Presidente” as González emerged from a meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei to wave to supporters from the balcony of the iconic Casa Rosada, or Pink House, in Buenos Aires.
“We are doing whatever the cause of freedom requires,” Milei, an effusive far-right supporter of the Venezuelan opposition, said as he welcomed González to the presidential palace with honors normally reserved for a head of state.
González, a retired diplomat, fled into exile in Spain in September after a judge issued an arrest warrant following the July 28 presidential election, in which Maduro was declared the winner by the National Electoral Council, which is stacked with governing party loyalists.
In recent weeks, he has been vowing to travel to Venezuela to be sworn in for the presidential term, which according to law must begin on Jan. 10. But he hasn't said how he plans to return or wrest power from Maduro, whose party controls all institutions and the military.
On Thursday, Maduro’s government raised the stakes even further, announcing a $100,000 reward for information on González’s whereabouts and plastering the wanted-like bulletin with the retired diplomat's photo on social media and the arrivals board at the country's main airport.
“By whatever means necessary, I’m going to be there” on Jan. 10, González said in response to a journalist’s question following a meeting with Argentina’s foreign minister.
González, who twice served as Venezuela's ambassador to Argentina more than two decades ago, used his visit to highlight the plight of hundreds of Venezuelans who remain imprisoned as part of a post-election crackdown by Maduro.
During his meeting with Milei, the two discussed the well being of five Maduro opponents who have been sheltering in the Argentine ambassador’s residence in Caracas for nearly 10 months. Maduro's government broke relations with Argentina and expelled its diplomats after Milei and other regional leaders refused to recognize Maduro's reelection.
But it has denied the activists holed up in the diplomatic compound safe passage so they can take up exile in Argentina. As part of the diplomatic standoff, Maduro's government last month also arrested an Argentine national guardsman as he was entering the country, accusing him of terrorism. Argentina said the officer, Nahuel Gallo, traveled to Venezuela to visit his wife and her family, who are from Venezuela.
An estimated 220,000 Venezuelans are believed to reside in Argentina — part of an exodus of more than 7 million who have fled political turmoil, economic chaos and political repression by Maduro since 2014.
Janet Avila, a 51-year old school teacher who left Venezuela two years ago, was among those gathered outside the presidential palace to greet González.
“I'm very grateful to the Argentines, they've been beautiful to me, but I want to go home, to be with my family,” she said.
The Biden administration and most European governments have rejected the election's official results, pointing out that authorities didn't provide detailed results as they have in past elections. Meanwhile, copies of tally sheets collected by the opposition from 85% of the nation’s electronic voting machines show that González prevailed by a more than two-to-one margin.
González, 75, was a previously unknown career diplomat when he was thrust into rallying the anti-Maduro coalition as a last-minute stand-in for opposition stalwart María Corina Machado, whom the government banned from running for office.
After speaking with Milei on Saturday, González is scheduled to cross the Rio de la Plata for a meeting with Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou.
Venezuela's opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, center, his wife Mercedes Lopez, right, and Argentine President Javier Milei stand at the balcony of the government house in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. Gonzalez, who claims he won the 2024 presidential election and is recognized by some countries as the legitimate president-elect, traveled from exile in Madrid to Argentina. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Venezuela's opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, center right, and Argentine President Javier Milei hold hands from the government house balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. Gonzalez, who claims he won the 2024 presidential election and is recognized by some countries as the legitimate president-elect, traveled from exile in Madrid to Argentina. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Venezuela's opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, center right, and Argentine President Javier Milei wave to supporters from the government house in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. Gonzalez, who claims he won the 2024 presidential election and is recognized by some countries as the legitimate president-elect, traveled from exile in Madrid to Argentina. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Venezuela's opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia and his wife Mercedes Lopez hold hands from the government house balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. Gonzalez, who claims he won the 2024 presidential election and is recognized by some countries as the legitimate president-elect, traveled from exile in Madrid to Argentina. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Venezuela's opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, center, his wife Mercedes Lopez, right, and Argentine President Javier Milei stand at the balcony of the government house in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. Gonzalez, who claims he won the 2024 presidential election and is recognized by some countries as the legitimate president-elect, traveled from exile in Madrid to Argentina. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
People watch Venezuela's opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia and Argentine President Javier Milei wave to supporters from the government house balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. Gonzalez, who claims he won the 2024 presidential election and is recognized by some countries as the legitimate president-elect, traveled from exile in Madrid to Argentina. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Leo Zambrano, supporter of Venezuela's opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, holds a Venezuela's flag at Plaza de Mayo, outside the government house where he meets with Argentine President Javier Milei in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. Gonzalez, who claims he won the 2024 presidential election and is recognized by some countries as the legitimate president-elect, traveled from exile in Madrid to Argentina. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Venezuela's opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, right, and Argentine President Javier Milei hold hands from the government house balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. Gonzalez, who claims he won the 2024 presidential election and is recognized by some countries as the legitimate president-elect, traveled from exile in Madrid to Argentina. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
A wanted sign of Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez is displayed on the list of departure flights at the Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, near Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
