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Tuesday, September 22, 2009

COLD STONE CREAMERY SUPPORTS MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION WITH ICE CREAM FUNDRAISER


Cold Stone Creamery a subsidiary of Kahala announced the “World’s Largest Ice Cream Social” to be held on thursday, Sept. 24, 2009, which marks Cold Stone Creamery’s® eighth-annual “World’s Largest Ice Cream Social,” a nationwide fundraising event to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

All Cold Stone Creamery locations throughout the United States, Guam and Puerto Rico are inviting ice cream lovers to experience the joy of supporting a worthy cause and enjoying indulgent ice cream!

From 5-8 pm on Sept. 24, everyone donating to the Make-A-Wish Foundation will receive a FREE 3 oz serving of Jack’s Creation, the featured Creation made by 5-year-old wish kid Jack from New York City. Jack met with Cold Stone Creamery Sr. Tastemaster, Ray Karam, earlier this year to create his special Creation, a delicious combination of Sweet Cream ice cream, brownies, sprinkles and caramel. Donations that night and all month long will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, an organization that grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.

Supporters of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and ice cream lovers are encouraged to partake in this indulgent event, cooling off with ice cream and supporting a great cause.

For store locations, please visit http://www.coldstonecreamery.com/

Cold Stone Creamery has supported the Make-A-Wish Foundation since 2002, generating $3.2 million in donations. Cold Stone has dedicated the month of September to raising funds for the Foundation. In addition to the event, guests can donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and receive a paper wish star to write their name on that will be posted inside stores during the month.

About Cold Stone Creamery
Cold Stone Creamery delivers The Ultimate Ice Cream Experience® through a community of franchisees who are passionate about ice cream. The secret recipe for smooth and creamy ice cream is handcrafted fresh daily in each store, and then customized by combining a variety of mix-ins on a frozen granite stone. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Cold Stone Creamery is a subsidiary of Kahala, one of the fastest growing franchising companies in the world, with a portfolio of 12 quick service restaurant brands. Cold Stone Creamery operates more than 1,450 locations in 13 countries worldwide.

For more information about Cold Stone Creamery, visit the brand’s Web site at
www.coldstonecreamery.com. For more information about Kahala, visit the company’s Web site at
www.kahalacorp.com.

About the Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Founded in 1980 when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the Foundation is now the largest wish-granting charity in the world, with 65 chapters in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and nearly 25,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish every 40 minutes and has granted more than 180,000 wishes in the United States since inception. For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit wish.org and discover how you can share the power of a wish®.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

CA Legislature Passes Streamlined Rapid HIV Testing Bill; AHF Urges Schwarzenegger to Sign Law

FROM: AIDS HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the operator of the largest non-government HIV testing program in California, today praised the California Legislature for its passage of Assembly Bill 221, which cleared the Assembly on final concurrence (61-0) today and moves on to the Governor’s desk. AB 221 updates and streamlines the training of counselors for rapid HIV testing by exempting persons administering finger stick rapid HIV tests from the requirement for certification as a limited phlebotomy technician (LPT). It is widely expected that Schwarzenegger will sign the bill. However; as AB 221 has been designated an urgency bill and will go into effect as soon as the Governor signs it rather than early next year, AHF is reiterating its call on the Governor to swiftly sign the bill.

The bill, authored by Assembly Member Anthony Portantino (D—Pasadena) and co-sponsored by AIDS Healthcare Foundation and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, eliminates barriers to expanding access to HIV rapid screening by reforming outdated, unnecessary and excessive training standards for HIV counselors who administer the finger stick rapid test.

“Over the past three years, the California Legislature and the Governor have led the charge to foster widespread routine HIV screening. One after another, barriers to screening have been erased so that California can ensure an optimal environment for people to learn their HIV status and get into life-saving treatment. AB 221 removes yet another barrier,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, co-sponsor of the bill. “We encourage Governor Schwarzenegger to quickly sign this pragmatic and money-saving bill into law.”

“AB 221 exempts persons administering HIV rapid tests from the need for certification as a limited phlebotomy technician,” said Joseph Terrill, Domestic Testing Manager for AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “Currently, finger stick rapid tests can only be administered by HIV counselors who are certified as LPTs. Certification requires 20 hours of training and 25 practical supervised finger sticks. The cost of that training, approximately $2,500 per person, has discouraged many test sites and organizations from increasing the number of HIV counselors who are LPTs. AB 221 brings California law current with improvements in the technology of HIV testing.”

“This bill wisely eliminates unnecessary administrative costs that currently impede expansion of much needed HIV testing here in California,” added Whitney Engeran-Cordova, Director of AHF’s Public Health Division. “When signed into law, as we expect Governor Schwarzenegger will do, AB 221 will allow for far greater flexibility in how programs do HIV testing.”