FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kelli Ellison Mara WheelerMilford Junior High School Red Robin Foundation513-248-3456 (303) 846-5492ellison_k@milfordschools.org mwheeler@redrobin.com

 MILFORD JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL Wins $10,000 for Promoting Kindness Among

StudentsThe Red Robin Foundation’s “U-ACT Program” rewards Milford Junior High School for implementing programs

that encourage kindness and decrease bullying behaviors

Milford, Ohio, May 19, 2011 – Milford Junior High School in Milford, Ohio, has been named a 2011 Red Robin

Foundation “U-ACT Award of Excellence School” for bringing kindness into their school and community

throughout the school year. To honor its hard work in promoting kind acts, Milford Junior High School was

awarded a $10,000 grant for their school.

The U-ACT Program – sponsored by the Red Robin Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity – is designed to

promote the elimination of negative, bullying behavior and establishing positive social behaviors in schools. The

program was created as a way to share with communities across the country an integral part of Red Robin’s culture

– Unbridled Acts – which occur when Red Robin team members perform spontaneous random acts of kindness to

help restaurant guests and fellow team members.

Over the course of the school year, Milford Junior High School implemented programs inside and outside their

school that demonstrated how they are bringing Red Robin’s ‘Unbridled’ philosophy to life. Milford Junior High

School was named a “U-ACT School” by implementing new in-school programs that not only promoted

Unbridled Acts among students but also rewarded unbridled behavior too. The faculty and students were

able to go beyond the norm and out think of ways to promote anti-bullying during Digital Citizenship

Week which happened to also be National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week. During this time,

classrooms and hallways were decorated with anti-bullying banners and posters, cyber-bullying

bookmarks were distributed, and daily announcements with “Stand Up to Bullying” skits (acted out by

students) were shown during homeroom. The week concluded with a Friday class lesson on Digital

Etiquette. MJHS’s campaign to Stand Up to Bullying didn’t end there, the school continued to have

Friday Meetings with homerooms, and on February 25, 2011, National Bullying Day, they encouraged

everyone to wear a pink t-shirt. The overwhelming response certainly proved to have an impact on the

entire school.

“At Milford Junior High, we feel that it is always important to give back to those who have been so

generous to us. This year we started new community-oriented fundraisers/outreach programs, Builders

Club. The Milford Junior High School Kiwanis Builder’s Club has offered opportunities to our students

to develop leadership qualities through experiences in volunteer community service. This year, our

Builder’s Club painted pumpkins for the elderly, collected treat for the troops in November, organized a

holiday drive for St. Joseph’s Orphanage, and participated in “The Haiti Million Meal Marathon” in

February to name a few. This organization produced an overwhelming response not only from the kids,

but from the community as well; their random acts of kindness have certainly not gone unnoticed,” said

Kelli Ellison, principal at Milford Junior High School.

In addition, to celebrate their award, Milford Junior High School will receive $250 for a party to reward

their students.

“We would like to thank the Red Robin Foundation for recognizing our efforts throughout the school year to

promote a positive school community,” said Kelli Ellison, principal at Milford Junior High School. “We plan to

use the grant money to begin a PBS (positive behavioral support) system at the junior high level and more!”

For the U-ACT Program, the Red Robin Foundation named one grand prize-winning “U-ACT Champion School”

who received $15,000; two “Award of Excellence” schools, who received $10,000; and seven “Award of Merit”

schools, who received $1,200.

Since the inception of the U-ACT Program, Red Robin and the Red Robin Foundation have distributed

more than $200,000 in grants to 40 middle schools across the U.S. and more than 250 schools have

participated. For more information on the U-ACT Program, please visit www.redrobin.com.

About the Red Robin Foundation Red Robin® restaurants established the Red Robin Foundation in 2006 because we believe in giving back to our team members and the communities in which we work and do business. The Red Robin Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity. The exempt purpose of the Foundation is to give back to the communities we serve while providing donors the opportunity to be kind to their neighbors and share in our Unbridled spirit through programs like the Giving Fund, Scholarship Fund, U-ACT Program and Community Outreach Program. For more information, please visit www.redrobinfoundation.org

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