Operation Chill, 7-Eleven Inc.’s community outreach program, will return this summer for its 29th year of promoting positive police-youth engagement and neighborhood connection, the convenience-store retailer has announced.
Since 1995, Operation Chill has helped law enforcement officers create positive connections by awarding a Slurpee drink coupon to a child they observe performing a good deed or exhibiting positive behavior. Kids are rewarded for wearing a helmet while riding a bike, picking up litter, helping a neighbor or holding the door open with a free, small Slurpee drink. They can redeem the coupons at any participating U.S. 7-Eleven, Speedway or Stripes convenience store.
Fostering the relationships that make its communities stronger and safer is a core tenet of the company’s philanthropic commitment to building thriving communities, the company said.
“We know that every day—in ways large and small—connections are made in our stores and in the neighborhoods we serve. And it’s these positive connections that ultimately help create stronger, safer communities for all of us,” said Marissa Jarratt, executive vice president and chief marketing and sustainability officer at 7-Eleven. “We’re proud to have the opportunity to deepen our relationships with the law enforcement community while getting to know our neighbors even better through nearly three decades of Operation Chill.”
This year, 7-Eleven will issue more than 550,000 coupons to more than 1,300 participating U.S. law enforcement agencies to reward children in their local communities. Designed to help reduce crime and enhance relationships between police and young people, more than 24 million Operation Chill coupons have been distributed over the program’s history.
“Building relationships with the people we serve is integral to our role as law enforcement officers and a free Slurpee drink coupon is an easy and effective way for our officers to connect with kids,” said Miguel Rodriguez Jr., chief of police for the Laredo, Texas, Police Department. “We are grateful for the opportunity to participate in and support this great program. Programs like Operation Chill are key to helping us build stronger, safer communities one Slurpee drink at a time.”
“We are grateful for 7-Eleven Inc.’s continued support of the law enforcement community and investment in initiatives that make it easy for our officers to nurture positive relationships with the communities we serve,” said Cpl. Alan Jones, Prince Georges County, Maryland, Police Department. “Together, we are making our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live.”
For a full list of law enforcement agencies participating in the Operation Chill outreach program, click here.
In related community news, 7-Eleven made a surprise, $5,000 check presentation to Warren Lincoln High School Wrestling Group and Beat the Streets Detroit in honor of Coach Ken Kaercher’s more than 20 years of support for youth in his hometown of Warren, Michigan. The donation will help the organizations purchase new equipment.
Kaercher has coached youth wrestling at Warren Lincoln for more than two decades, and he pays forward the support he received from wrestling as a youth by rewarding children who put in extra effort with Slurpees. With the motto “Big effort, big Slurpee,” Kaercher uses 7-Eleven’s frozen treats as incentive for his wrestlers to work hard and give more.
- 7-Eleven is No. 1 on CSP’s 2024 Top 40 Update to the 2023 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count. Watch for the full 2024 Top 202 ranking in the June issue of CSP magazine and in CSP Daily News.
Based in Irving, Texas, 7-Eleven Inc. operates, franchises or licenses more than 83,000 convenience stores in 19 countries and regions, including more than 13,000 7-Eleven convenience stores in the United States and Canada. In addition to 7-Eleven c-stores, the company operates and franchises Speedway and Stripes c-stores and the Laredo Taco Company, Speedy Cafe and Raise the Roost Chicken and Biscuits restaurant brands.
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