2010 Miss America Caressa Cameron

I am so excited to have been selected to be Miss America 2010! I look forward to devoting this next year to important causes and issues nationwide. It is a dream come true.

One of my first tasks as Miss America is to serve as a national spokesperson for IHOP’s National Pancake Day, set for February 23. On that day, everyone can stop into an IHOP for free flapjacks! Really! Free pancakes for all! IHOP plans to give away millions of them between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. and in turn, they hope that satisfied guests will leave a little something behind for one of my favorite charities...Children’s Miracle Network. Their goal is to raise $1.75 million for Children’s Miracle Network and other local charities this year. That would make it “five in five” for IHOP, or more than $5 million raised for local charities in their first five years of National Pancake Day. And guess what? The contribution you leave behind will benefit a Children’s Hospital program in your neighborhood.

On National Pancake Day, I will be at IHOP enjoying my free short stack, welcoming guests and serving a few pancakes. Maybe I will see you there!

To help you remember to get your free short stack on February 23, I would like to give you a personal wake up call that morning. All you have to do is log onto www.IHOPPancakeDay.com to register for a call from me. There is also a lot of information there, and it is a great place to find out where your local IHOP is.

How cool is National Pancake Day? To me, this amazing annual fundraising effort is like the world’s largest pancake party.

Won’t you help me help improve and save the lives of kids in your neighborhood?

Children's Miracle Network's Roger Cook

Imagine waking up to 53 of the country’s most beautiful women eating the breakfast of champions — Pancakes! You would think it was a dream, right? Well, last Friday, that was my reality! I felt like the luckiest guy on the planet on Friday, January 22 when I had the opportunity to host a special event in support of National Pancake Day at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.

Leading up to The Miss America Pageant on January 30, all of the state winners, plus D.C., U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico representatives, gathered for a very special pancake breakfast to raise awareness for National Pancake Day, which is set for Tuesday, February 23, 2010. On that special day, IHOP restaurants nationwide will give away one shortstack of their famous buttermilk pancakes free to anyone who stops in. In exchange, they hope you will leave a little something behind for my favorite cause...Children’s Miracle Network.

As Vice President of Celebrity and Public Relations for Children’s Miracle Network, I have the distinct pleasure of working with a lot of caring celebrities who devote their time, talent and money to help improve and save the lives of children throughout the United States and abroad. On National Pancake Day, IHOP and you, their guests, are the stars and you can help us raise more than $1.75 million for Children’s Miracle Network programs nationwide.

I hope you will stop into an IHOP on February 23, between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. for a free short stack and hopefully you will enjoy the pancakes so much that you will leave a little something behind to help create miracles at children’s hospitals around the country. 100% of the funds raised on National Pancake Day in restaurants supporting Children’s Miracle Network will stay in the local community in which they were donated to help sick and injured kids being treated at your local Children’s Miracle Network hospital.

There will also be more ways to donate and to win something for your good deeds, so stay tuned to more details!

For more information on National Pancake Day, visit www.IHOPPancakeDay.com. There are lots of ways you can get involved today!

NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young

I had the honor of recently taping a public service announcement for my favorite cause, Children’s Miracle Network, and it was a blast!

I have been affiliated with Children’s Miracle Network for 25 years and have personally witnessed their incredible devotion and efforts to improve and save the lives of children across the country. This year, I am honored again to help Children’s Miracle Network increase awareness about an important fundraising event organized by IHOP — National Pancake Day. On Tuesday February 23, 2010, IHOP restaurants nationwide will give-away free buttermilk pancakes; millions of them! In exchange, they hope you will leave a little something behind for Children’s Miracle Network.

The Public Service Announcement I taped will air on television and radio stations across the county in the near future and you can see it now on IHOP’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/ihop. Hopefully, it will remind you to stop into IHOP on February 23 and enjoy some great mouth-watering pancakes and make a donation on behalf of children in need in your local area.

The National Pancake Day campaign is a significant annual fundraiser for Children’s Miracle Network. IHOP has an ambitious goal to raise more than $1.75 million with this year’s campaign.

I am planning to take my family to IHOP on National Pancake Day and you should too. What could be better than free delicious pancakes and helping my favorite cause? I hope to see lots of others there, opening up their wallets to help Children’s Miracle Network.

And don’t forget to check back to www.IHOPPancakeDay.com; starting February 1, you’ll have a chance to enter a contest to win a year’s supply of free pancakes and you will be able to sign up to receive a wake-up call from me or other celebrity supporters of Children’s Miracle Network.

Help me help children in need!

Steve Young

Carolyn O'Keefe - IHOP's SVP, Marketing

We are so excited to announce IHOP will celebrate its fifth National Pancake Day on February 23, 2010! For the last five years, IHOP has invited guests to enjoy a free short stack of our famous buttermilk pancakes. In exchange, our guests and franchisees have helped us raise more than $3.25 million for Children’s Miracle Network and other local charities. What an accomplishment!

The day has become a tradition for families and friends who wish to enjoy great food and great service while helping out a great cause. In 2010, we hope to raise $1.75 million, which will mark a cumulative $5 million raised in 5 years…all of which has gone - and will continue to go - directly to charities in the communities in which the money is raised.

Here is how National Pancake Day works: On February 23, 2010, more than 1,400 IHOP restaurants throughout the United States will once again invite guests to enjoy a free short stack of our signature buttermilk pancakes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. In return, our restaurants will ask guests to donate what they would have paid for the free pancakes, or more, to the Children’s Miracle Network hospital in their community or another designated local cause.

Stay tuned to this blog for fun and informational posts from our celebrity supporters, including NFL legend Steve Young, the 2010 Miss America pageant winner, IHOP team members, Miracle Children from Children’s Miracle Network and more!

Tell your friends and families -- help us help children across the country on February 23, 2010.

Carolyn O'Keefe
Senior Vice President, Marketing
IHOP Restaurants