June 4, 2018. Louisville, KY. – The inaugural Papa John’s Thunder Funder Program was a hit with Thunder Over Louisville and pizza fans. The 2018 program helped raise funds for the 2018 Thunder Over Louisville show by donating proceeds from the sale of every Thunder Fireworks pizza ordered online at PapaJohns.com. The promotion ran through May 6 and over 4,000 Fireworks pizzas were ordered. Papa John’s presented a check for $10,000 to Mike Berry, Kentucky Derby Festival President & CEO.
“Producing a show like Thunder Over Louisville truly takes a village,” said Mike Berry, Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO. “We appreciate Papa John’s stepping up this year to sponsor the Thunder Funder program and are grateful to all our fans who ordered pizza to help support the show.”
“Papa John’s has been a proud Kentucky Derby Festival sponsor for the past 15 years. For the first time, we’re excited to be the title sponsor of the Thunder Funder Program,” said Hillary Simmons, Papa John’s Community Project Specialist. “Through the Thunder Funder Program, we are thrilled to announce that through the Thunder FireWorks Pizza promotion we were able to raise $10,000 to benefit the production of Thunder Over Louisville. We want thank the Louisville community for all of their support of the Thunder Funder Program and for purchasing the Thunder Fireworks Pizza this Derby season!”
Thunder Over Louisville – the Derby Festival’s Opening Ceremonies – is one of the more than 70 events produced by the Derby Festival in the spring. The 2018 Thunder Over Louisville was the 29th annual production. Presenting sponsors were Horseshoe Southern Indiana, LG&E, Meijer, UPS, and Valero. Next year’s show is set for April 13, 2019.
About Papa John’s
Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John’s International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) is the world’s third-largest pizza delivery company. For 16 of the past 18 years, consumers have rated Papa John’s No. 1 in customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). For more information about the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa John’s at www.papajohns.com.
