WHAT:
Breast cancer touches lives every day — not only the lives of those with the disease, but those of friends and family members as well. During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, you’re invited to join Panera Bread® as we celebrate survivors and remember those we’ve lost.

For the 10th consecutive year, during the month of October, Panera Bread is offering the Pink Ribbon Bagel^® — our delicious Cherry Vanilla Bagel baked in a unique ribbon shape. And a portion of the proceeds from every Pink Ribbon Bagel and Power of Pink Baker's Dozen sold will be donated to local charities and organizations that help fight breast cancer.

We invite you to learn more about Pink Ribbon Bagels and the inspiring story behind them.

WHEN:
October 2011

WHERE:
Participating Panera Bread bakery-cafes

Publish Date: October 1, 2011

Eighty-six-year-old Jim Lundberg pipes out a few notes on his clarinet as he steps spryly toward a couple in a booth at the Panera Bread bakery-cafe in Apple Valley, Minnesota. Jim plays a few more notes, and the pair tries to name that tune.

“Moon River,” they quickly - and correctly - guess.

Jim nods and finishes playing the song on his rare and eye-catching, see-through clarinet with gold and pink keys.

For more than a year, Jim and his buddies (many fellow retirees) have met every Monday at this bakery-cafe, just south of Minneapolis. “We have a good time,” Jim says. “We chew the rag and solve all the world’s problems in an hour.”

One Monday, on an impulse, Jim brought his translucent clarinet to the 9 to 10 a.m. coffee klatch. After that, the clarinet became his weekly companion - serenading Panera patrons, reconnecting him to his love of music, and making new friends who request songs and name tunes. His repertoire is vast. As the mood strikes him, he’ll drift into a Latin tune or play songs popular during World War II. Often, those hearing these classics will share memories with Jim, telling him about where they first heard the songs or reminiscing about silver screen stars associated with the tunes.

“I’m trying to get billed as Jim and the Crystal Clarinet,” he says with a hearty laugh.

Jim retired from being a financial executive about 26 years ago, and then plunged himself into the Twin Cities music scene. He has sat in with concert bands, played in the Bloomington Northern Winds, performed 20 years with a swing band, and formed his own trio that played at senior events. However, about a year ago, he had to give up those performances because of macular degeneration. His failing eyesight made it harder and harder for him to read music.

“This is a way for me to continue playing even though I kind of dropped out of music,” Jim says. “I’m doing it just because I get a kick out of it, and it’s very good for the lungs. The way I figure it, the longer you breathe, the longer you live.”

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Publish Date: July 1, 2011

Do you have memories of going to camp? The experience is even more special for children living with cancer, thanks to Camp Smile-A-Mile in Birmingham, Alabama. The camp is a year-round program for current or former cancer patients up to 30 years of age. And through Panera Bread’s support, more kids can paddle canoes, play softball…enjoy the simple pleasures of camp at an otherwise difficult time.

Camp Smile-A-Mile began in 1985 and now hosts at least one family activity each month at a site on Lake Martin. From May to September, the camp offers seven more traditional camping sessions, including weekend camps and two weeklong summer camps. Each year, more than 400 children participate, and during some sessions, siblings of cancer patients attend as well.

“Camp Smile-A-Mile offers a chance for the kids to be with others who are going through the same thing,” says Stephanie Wilkins, community relations manager at Camp Smile-A-Mile.

There are water sports, arts and crafts, and (of course) campfires with marshmallows. But Camp Smile-A-Mile goes way beyond a typical camp experience by helping the children deal with their diagnosis and treatment, and by providing support to their families. On-site pediatric oncology doctors and nurses help take care of any medical needs during the kids’ stay. And even more amazing, it’s all free for the families.

“We are a nonprofit that stands alone with no federal or state funding, and our support from Panera helps us send more kids to camp,” says Wilkins. Camp Smile-A-Mile is Panera’s Operation Dough-Nation^® Community Breadbox^™ partner in Birmingham. The idea is simple. Donation containers are placed near the registers in all bakery-cafes for customers to contribute. Panera Bread then matches a portion of the donations and distributes the money to local charities. The impact for Camp Smile-A-Mile has been big: Bakery-cafes and their customers in the greater Birmingham and Tuscaloosa area have given the camp more than $13,000 since 2009.

But the support for Camp Smile-A-Mile goes deeper than funds. Last year, for example, about a half dozen Panera Bread associates brought lunch to 150 kids and staff at the camp and were rewarded with a tour and meeting with campers and staff.

“To be with the campers and see the joy in their faces was a really, really great experience,” says Amanda Harnish, Panera Bread local marketing manager.

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Publish Date: June 1, 2011

You already know that Panera Bread’s the perfect place to curl up with a good book - or plug in your computer and write one of your own. But in Tulsa, seven Panera Bread bakery-cafes recently became literary salons for a day, as they welcomed the staff of the prestigious (and colorfully named) Nimrod International Journal of Prose and Poetry.

“We’ve been around since 1956,” says Eilis O’Neal, managing editor of The University of Tulsa’s Nimrod, the award-winning journal that is recognized for uncovering and honoring fine contemporary writing. “We’ve published [early and new, original] work by writers who have gone on to become famous, like Sue Monk Kidd and S. E. Hinton. But the city’s grown so much, and we wanted to let more people know about us - and Panera seemed like a natural spot to spread our passion.”

So on January 21, 2011, the staff of Nimrod fanned out, bringing boxes of back issues to seven Panera locations. Volunteers, editors, and board members were on hand to answer questions and discuss good writing. Eilis and her staff enjoyed chatting with aspiring writers.

“I met a woman who came in with her two daughters who were interested in writing,” she recalls. “It was nice to be able to give them the journal and tell them about the writing conference* we sponsor each October. Our main mission isn’t just to publish famous writers but also to find writers who are up-and-coming and help them break into the publishing world.”

The event was a great success, says Erin Studebaker, community relations manager for Traditional Bakery, which operates the Tulsa-area Panera Bread bakery-cafes. “We were glad to be part of the effort. After all, the Panera atmosphere just lends itself to good reading and writing. You can grab a journal and lose yourself in a corner by the fireplace.”

* There’s more information on the 2011 Nimrod Literary Awards Conference for Readers and Writers on the Nimrod website.

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Publish Date: May 1, 2011

Sometimes, great things begin in the unlikeliest places. Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook in his college dorm room. Hemingway wrote many of his stories in a Parisian bar. Sean Cleary, head track-and-field coach at West Virginia University (WVU), has launched Olympic Game careers from his regular booth at the Panera Bread bakery-cafe in Morgantown, West Virginia.

WVU alumna Megan Metcalfe, one of Sean’s athletes, competed in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. She sat down for direction, planning, and inspiration at Coach Sean’s “branch office” at Panera.

“The first conversation I ever had with Megan was at Panera Bread,” recalls Sean. “We talked about what it takes to make it to the Olympic Games.”

But Sean’s branch office isn’t just for inspiring future Olympians. He sits down there with every one of his athletes at the start of the their college career and helps them form a four-year plan, then brings them back again as each season opens - and periodically in between. His coaches’ meetings take place at the booth, too, where he and his colleagues plan out their strategies.

For Sean, Panera Bread is the ideal work environment. “It’s a really relaxed atmosphere,” he says, “that puts whomever I’m with in a state of mind where they can talk freely.” Although Sean’s workday starts at the office to look at messages and plan for the day ahead, he doesn’t stay there long. “I head right over to Panera, from 8:30 in the morning until practice time in the afternoon,” he explains. Enjoying the Asian Sesame Chicken Salad or sipping on a Low-Fat Strawberry Smoothie, he meets a constant stream of visitors. “The employees there are awesome,” says Sean. “They recognize my athletes when they come in, and just point to where I’m sitting. And if anybody from the community or the administration - even the local sports reporters - want to talk to me, they know exactly where to find me.”

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Publish Date: May 1, 2011

It all started with a baritone player - a friendly, smart, hardworking kid named Ryan Clark, who made good grades and spent his free time helping others. As a triple major in English, psychology, and biology at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Ryan volunteered for community service projects like helping underprivileged kids in Atlanta and building homes for migrant workers in rural Virginia. Sadly, in 2007, Ryan was killed in the campus shooting that took the lives of 32 of his fellow students and teachers.

His friends in the Marching Virginians (as the band is known) were devastated, and determined to honor Ryan’s memory by working with Community Housing Partners to build a home for a local family in need. The only catch? Before they could hammer the first nail, they needed to raise $40,000.

Band director Dave McKee picks up the story: “Out of the blue, I got a phone call from a Lauren Perpetua, who said that Panera Bread was opening a new bakery-cafe in Blacksburg, and they wanted to partner with us on a community-service project. I thought, ‘Well, an angel has landed and turned around our little fund-raising project. They gave us the momentum we needed.’”

Lauren is the marketing manager of the Blue Ridge Bread and Delta Dough franchise groups that operate 13 Panera Bread bakery-cafes in Virginia and Tennessee. She and her team got right to work on a grand-opening party that doubled as a fund-raising event. “We invited all the movers and shakers in Blacksburg,” she recalls. “Dinner was on us, and a 30-piece band provided the entertainment. It blew everyone away. We asked our guests to donate to the project, and we matched their gifts dollar for dollar. At the end of the evening, we presented the band with a check for $6,000.”

As work progressed on the house, Panera Bread delivered fresh sandwiches and baked goods to the construction site for the hungry workers, and also catered the dedication ceremony.

“Throughout the entire fund-raising project, the folks at Panera Bread were unrelenting in their support,” recalls Dave. “Ryan Clark was one of those great kids who made life better every day,” he says. “Being involved with this project in his honor was the most meaningful thing in my career - nothing comes close.”

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Publish Date: April 1, 2011

The mission of Panera Bread is “A loaf of bread in every arm.” So when Brian Campbell, marketing manager for the two bakery-cafes in Lima, Ohio, heard about Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen, he knew Panera Bread could also help the group carry out its mission to provide a warm meal each day to those in need.

In 2008, the soup kitchen became a regular evening donation recipient, picking up leftover bread at the end of the day from the bakery-cafes in Lima and distributing it to more than 200 individuals who count on the organization. (As part of its Day-End Dough Nation^™ efforts in 2010, Panera Bread and its franchisees donated $100 million worth of bread and baked goods throughout the United States.) But Brian and the board of Our Daily Bread knew their partnership could accomplish something more.

One visit to the soup kitchen convinced Brian that the organization’s stove needed to go. “They were running on a very old, inefficient range,” he recalls. “Burners didn’t ignite and the thermostat inside the oven was broken. And that’s the thing that they need every day. It’s an important piece of the soup kitchen.”

Through Panera Bread’s Community Breadbox^™ program the bakery-cafe management worked with others from the Panera Bread franchisee to purchase a $5,000 commercial range with money raised in part through donation boxes placed near registers. Now, with six burners, a griddle, and a working oven and thermostat, the soup kitchen has been operating “efficiently and easily,” says Stephen Jenkins, executive director of Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen. “We’re pleased and privileged to be the recipients of the stove. Panera has been a wonderful partner.”

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Publish Date: April 1, 2011

Two heads, they say, are better than one. When you put five or six heads together - and set them to work on a project - you’ve assembled the brainpower of a mastermind group. And if you sit them all in front of the fireplace with a cup of coffee at their local Panera Bread bakery-cafe, you’ve got a surefire recipe for success.

Just ask Shel Horowitz of Hadley, Massachusetts. A successful writer specializing in environmental issues - he’s author of the 2010 book Guerilla Marketing Goes Green -he’d always wanted to write a syndicated column filled with advice for business leaders on how to put environmental sustainability to work in the corporate world. So he turned to his local mastermind group. (Around since the 1930s, these are small, informal gatherings of people who meet regularly to share ideas and execute new business plans. The name was coined by author Napoleon Hill and was inspired by steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, who credited the 50 or so “Master Minds” who helped him build his business.)

Shel’s mastermind group started out a couple of years ago with half a dozen members who gathered at Panera, where lingering is welcome, coffee is robust, and free Wi-Fi is a magnet for rising entrepreneurs. “This little gathering has helped three of us grow our businesses dramatically,” he says: “One person has completely redone her website, another branched out into new territory as one of the leading experts on virtual worlds, and I’ve launched my self-syndicated column, ‘Green and Profitable.’ I think all of us would credit our group meetings at Panera Bread for helping to make this happen.”

Thanks in part to his group’s input, Shel launched his column in November 2010, and it’s already been picked up by newspapers and websites in the United States and abroad. Next on his agenda: the launch of a syndicated column for consumers, called “Green and Practical.”

Thanks to his mastermind group - plus Panera’s cozy atmosphere and endless cups of coffee - Shel is on his way to his goal of syndicating his column in 1,000 newspapers by the end of 2011. “We could sit for hours and hash out our ideas,” he recalls, “with nobody growling because we were there too long. It’s been a great collaboration - mastermind encouraged me to get off my duff and just do it.”

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Publish Date: April 1, 2011

Diane Banta’s family, friends, and neighbors have known her for years as “Grandma Diane” - and now, suburban Chicago kids, call her that, too. How might a few dozen preschoolers become so attached to a Panera Bread associate? Simple: Because of a cozy and fun “story time” program that Diane began at her bakery-cafe in Bannockburn, Illinois.

It all began in summer 2009, when the associates were brainstorming ways to get Panera Bread more involved in the community. Knowing she had books and stories she loved to share, plus an inviting space at the bakery-cafe, Diane offered to start a children’s story-time. Getting such a program off the ground was natural for Diane, who makes a hobby of writing children’s stories and reading to children’s groups.

She designed a twice-monthly daytime program, with her bakery-cafe providing free milk and cookies at each event. Each story time, which they call Story Time, Milk, and Cookies, centers on a theme (such as “best friends,” lost-and-found,” and Dr. Seuss books), and includes related songs and activities. The children sit on a quilt made by Diane’s grandmother.

After a few months of running the program solo, the Youth Services director from the nearby Deerfield Public Library stopped in and offered to get involved. “Not being one to turn down help ever, I said yes,” Diane laughs. “I had almost exhausted my supply of books!” Now, Diane collaborates with the library’s Youth Services department to plan each story time, with the library supplying books and accompanying CDs. Heidi Knuth, a librarian from that department, takes turns with Diane in leading the story time.

Both women say they are in awe of the community’s response to their program. “It’s been growing consistently since we started,” Heidi says, adding that 15 to 25 children regularly attend.

Diane is especially touched by the kids’ involvement and enthusiasm. “These are little minds, but they are very bright,” she says.

In fall 2010, a large portion of the original “story time” crowd began kindergarten, and a new group of kids and families started attending. But the program has become so popular in the community that the two are now planning an additional evening program for those older kids to come back to - along with any others looking to join. “Grandma Diane’s quilt is getting full!” she laughs. “But it’s great. There are lots of endearing connections that happen here.”

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  Publish Date: March 1, 2011
  

Just a blueberry muffin? Maybe. But for Moe Faulkner, whose sense of taste was diminished by the end stages of cancer, those Panera Bread treats were a pretty big deal and they were one of the few foods he was still able to enjoy. “If he didn’t have an appetite,” his wife, Shirley, explained to a reporter for The State Journal-Register, “that was the one thing I could count on to get him to eat something. The doctor said to try and get him to eat, even just half of a muffin.”

So when Shirley dropped by the Panera Bread bakery-cafe in Springfield, Illinois, to pick up a dozen and learned they were sold out, she was pretty upset. And when manager Sean Moser, whose grandmother had recently died of cancer, found out why, he whipped up a fresh batch and delivered them straight to Shirley and Moe’s door. Shirley was astounded. “I thought, ‘My goodness, a business going to all this trouble!’” she said to the reporter.

But that was just the beginning. Each time Moe and Shirley dropped by Panera Bread, they were greeted with a big hug and free blueberry muffins. Moe recently passed away, and is fondly remembered at the bakery-cafe. For Sean, that kind of connection to customers is a key part of why he loves his job - and it’s part of the Panera Bread culture.

Just ask Sonja Hill, an assistant manager at the Panera Bread bakery-cafe in Southgate, Michigan. In the winter of 2008, when Ronnie Bernard, who had ordered eight loaves of rye bread, called to say she wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t be able to come in to pick them up, Sonja wrapped up the loaves, climbed in her car, and drove 15 miles through a snowstorm to deliver them. “Nobody orders eight loaves of bread,” says Sonja, “so I figured she must have really needed them. She’s one of the sweetest ladies, and she was so thankful. Panera Bread won a very loyal new customer, and I made a good friend.”

Going that extra mile - or those extra 15 miles - is a pretty common Panera Bread theme. After eating lunch at a Panera Bread bakery-cafe in Boston in the summer of 2010, Emily L. tossed her empty soda cup into the garbage bin. Problem was, her brand-new wedding ring flew in, too. No problem! The bakery-cafe staff brought out a supply of plastic gloves and helped Emily sift through the trash until she found her ring. “A wedding ring is a really valuable thing,” says Glenn O’Gara, bakery-cafe manager. “We were just happy to be able to help. It didn’t feel like we were going above and beyond - but she was a customer and we’re here for our customers. It really made her day. It made our day, too.”

“At Panera Bread, we genuinely care about our customers,” says Sonja. “Our philosophy is: Let’s go out there and show ’em what we can do!”

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Publish Date: March 1, 2011

Andi Peryea, a 37-year-old catering coordinator at the Panera Bread^® bakery-cafe in Plattsburgh, New York, was making her usual lunchtime deliveries when she witnessed an accident. Two cars had collided at an intersection, and one of the vehicles’ airbags had deployed. The driver - an elderly woman - looked like she may be hurt.

Fortunately, Andi is not just a caterer extraordinaire; she’s also assigned to the U.S. Air Force 158th Medical Group. She’s served in Desert Storm and had just returned from Vermont National Guard duty. “I had my medical kit in the car,” she said, “so I stopped to help.” She found the woman semiconscious with a head laceration. Andi checked her vitals, bandaged the cut, installed a neck collar, and stayed by her side until EMTs arrived.

Every day, our catering coordinators are out in their communities not just delivering soup, salads and sandwiches but also extending the same friendliness, warmth and - when called for - service that you’ve come to expect in our bakery-cafes. Indeed, Panera Bread caters everything from baby showers to wakes, from Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, to holiday dinners for underprivileged families in Newnan, Georgia.

And as you can imagine, each catering job has its own set of challenges. “For giant events, like Warren Buffett’s meeting, it’s all hands on deck,” says Teresa Muehlenkamp, our director of marketing for catering. “We’ll pull in staff from various bakery-cafes in the area and use our Fresh Dough Facility trucks to make deliveries.” But even average-sized events of 20 to 25 people get a lot of attention. “We’ll not only handwrite names on orders, but we’ll also create sandwiches for customers that meet dietary needs or just a special desire,” she says. “One administrative assistant at a company I know just calls and orders ‘The Amy’ and her coordinator knows exactly what she wants.”

This year, look for online ordering to become available in more markets and, soon, delivery of those hot Panini sandwiches that everybody loves.

And, in case you were wondering, Andi did make the rest of her deliveries on time that day, and the woman she assisted recovered and sent her a note: “Thank you,” the woman wrote, “for being so thoughtful and such a great comfort to me.”

Publish Date: February 1, 2011

If you’re like most people nowadays, you may have hundreds of Facebook friends, plus lots of acquaintances you stay in touch with via other online social networks or e-mail. But when was the last time you actually got together with any of these people offline? That’s where Meetup.com comes in. With 7.2 million members and 79,000 local groups, it’s a fun, simple way for anyone with a hobby or interest to find others in their area who enjoy the same thing and then meet up.

The easiest way to explain how it works is to introduce Cheri Rosen, an elementary school teacher in Staten Island, New York. She loves playing strategy board games, ranging from Trivial Pursuit and Cranium to such modern classics as Settlers of Catan and Stone Age. She used to play regularly with a group in Edison, New Jersey, but when health problems curtailed her driving about a year ago, she used Meetup to search for a group closer to home. When she didn’t find one, she started her own.

“I decided, well, if I build it, they will come,” she says.
And they did. Anywhere from 15 to 20 adults typically gather at the Panera Bread bakery-cafe on Marsh Avenue in Staten Island every Sunday around 1 p.m., order coffee and sandwiches, and commence playing a variety of games that sometimes continue until closing at 9 p.m.

Not only did Meetup help Rosen connect with these people, but it also enables them to stay in touch and plan future get-togethers. On the website you can get recommendations for where to host your get-together, too. That’s how Rosen found Panera Bread.

“We were originally playing in a pizzeria that didn’t have any air-conditioning,” she explains. “Then another place wanted to charge us $80. But then the New Jersey board gamers recommended Panera Bread, so I called the one in Staten Island and they said ‘Come on over!’”
You and your group are just as welcome at your neighborhood Panera Bread bakery-cafe. At this time, tt doesn’t cost anything to join Meetup and search for groups, but if you’d like to start your own, the monthly pricing plan is nominal.

Publish Date: January 4, 2011

Around 9 o’clock just about every morning, Bob Johnson and six or so of his friends get together at the Panera Bread® bakery-cafe in Apple Valley, Minnesota, where they munch on bagels, drink coffee, and discuss everything from politics to appliance repair. “We have lots of astonishing things to talk about,” Bob says. “We give out advice every day - and all that advice is worth exactly what we charge for it.”

When the majority of them were still working, they met at a local diner, where they sat at the counter for breakfast and came to be known as “the counter-intelligence group.” As the years went by and they migrated over to Panera Bread, most have retired from a wide array of careers - Bob was a peddler for a photographic supply firm, Jim was a financial analyst, and Karen was a maintenance technician. You wouldn’t have thought they’d have much in common, but this group of companions has stayed connected and supported one another through the transitions, challenges, and celebrations of their lives - always over a cup of coffee and some crusty Panera bread.

It’s no accident that the word companion comes from the Latin words for “with” and “bread” - it actually means people who share bread together. And that, insists Joseph Shrand, MD, medical director of CASTLE, High Point Treatment Center in Brockton, Massachusetts, is what friendship is all about. “Sharing bread - a resource so vital to existence - is the essence of friendship,” he says. “It shows that we’re willing to sacrifice something of ours because we see another person as valuable.”

We’ve always sensed that friendship is good for our emotional health, but now science is telling us that it’s good for our physical health, too. “Recent studies have shown that social connections lead the brain to produce oxytocin,” says Dr. Shrand. “That’s the feel-good hormone that lowers stress and even promotes faster healing.” And a long-term Swedish study showed that people with good social relationships have a greater likelihood of surviving longer - the effect actually is equal to the benefit of quitting smoking. It gives new meaning to the phrase friends for life.

But in our frantic, fast-paced lives, it’s hard to make new friends - or nurture old ones. “Nobody has the time,” says Dr. Shrand. “What you have to do is create the time for friendship. It’s crucial to our physical and mental health.”

As the New Year begins - and the cold weather and postholiday blues settle in - try these friendship strategies to boost your mood and nurture relationships with old and new friends.

• Get moving. Take the dog for a walk, head to the gym, go for a hike in the woods - and take a friend along. Carve out an hour or so a week and mix endorphin-boosting exercise with friendly conversation that will help to curb the winter blues.

• Join a group. Scan the community message board at your local Panera Bread bakery-cafe or check out meetup.com to find a group with similar interests - or start one of your own. Invite a friend to come with you, or meet some new friends. Click here, to read about the Staten Island Board Gamers, a Meetup group that gathers at Panera Bread.

• Make a date. No matter how busy you are, you can carve out a half hour a week to get together with friends for lunch, or just a cup of coffee, at a Panera Bread bakery-cafe. Those 30 minutes of quick conversation can keep you going through long, dark winter days - and beyond.

Publish Date: January 4, 2011

In Dover, New Hampshire, it’s pretty easy to feel a little down in the dumps come January. The holidays are over, the days are gray, and there’s always a chill in the air.

But you’d never know it if you popped into the Panera Bread® bakery-cafe on Wednesday evenings when Knitters for World Peace get together to make hats, scarves, mittens, blankets, and shawls for people in need throughout their community and around the world. “There are about 65 of us,” says group leader Lin Richard, “and we all feel so good about the work we do. Newcomers to the area have made friends, and older folks have found new meaning in helping others.”

Whatever the weather is where you live, January is the perfect time to think about getting involved in a volunteer project. “People are so generous with their time around the holidays,” says David Levinson, founder and executive director of Big Sunday, the largest regional community-service volunteer event in the United States. “But hungry people need to eat just as badly in January and February as they do in December. The only problem is, the food pantries are often depleted and many times the volunteers have gone back home. The needs don’t go away when the holidays are over.”

Of course, you’ll be helping yourself as much as your community. A 2010 study found that 68 percent of those who volunteered report that it has made them feel physically healthier, and 89 percent say that volunteering improves their sense of well-being.1 In addition, other studies show that volunteering can result in a more optimistic outlook, increased energy, lower levels of depression, and an improved immune system.

Not sure how to get started? Here are some creative ways to make volunteering part of your life in 2011.

Do what you love. Take a quick inventory of your talents - everybody’s good at something, from bathing puppies to fixing cars and building spreadsheets. “You should do something you enjoy and feel good about,” insists Levinson. Volunteering doesn't need to be difficult or a huge sacrifice to be effective. It can be fun.

Find a need. Do some research to find an organization that needs you. Ask friends for recommendations, check with your place of worship, post a note on the community board at your local Panera Bread bakery-cafe, or go online (one great source is volunteermatch.org). Short on time? Go to sparked.com for 20-minute volunteer opportunities that match your interests and skills, or download the smartphone app The Extraordinaires.

Take it slow. Be realistic about the amount of time you commit to a project - remember, people will be counting on you to follow through. “If you’re letting somebody down,” says Levinson, “that’s worse than not doing any volunteering at all.”

Start at home. Being out among others is a great way to beat the winter blues while helping people in need. But even if you can’t get out, you can still pitch in. Say you heard a news report that the local food pantry needs powdered milk and peanut butter, but you’re home with the kids. “You can sit down at your desk and e-mail 20 people,” suggests Levinson. “Tell them what you’re collecting, and ask them to drop it off at the pantry. And ask each of them to e-mail 20 of their friends to do the same. It’s amazing what you can accomplish from the comfort of your home.”

Source:
1) unitedhealthgroup.com/news/rel2010/UHC-VolunteerMatch-Survey-Fact-Sheet.pdf

Publish Date: January 4, 2011

J.K. Rowling scribbled her first Harry Potter book in a café in Edinburgh, Scotland. Ernest Hemingway penned his short stories in a tiny hotel room in Paris. Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice in a little house in the English countryside.

Then there’s Judy Schneider. Three mornings a week, she packs up her laptop and heads to her local Panera Bread® bakery-cafe outside Pittsburgh, to work on the final drafts of her own Great American Novel.

“Writing is a lonely business,” says Schneider, who coauthored The Frantic Woman’s Guide to Life, a practical book for busy moms. “It’s good to get away from all the distractions at home - doing laundry, fixing dinner - and be among other people. At Panera Bread, the hours go by so easily. I get so much work done, and the refillable coffee really helps!”

An accomplished nonfiction writer, Schneider’s enjoying the switch to fiction - her work in progress is a mainstream women’s novel with a mystery twist. With a professional background in chemical research, she takes a scientific approach to her craft. “I like to have the story plotted out before I begin writing,” she explains. “Then I put all the scenes on index cards and go through them to write out bits of dialogue, develop the characters, and work out all the details.”

For Schneider, though, it’s not all about method. Her writing is about tapping true emotions. For instance, her novel zeros in on a mother’s worst nightmare - a child going missing - and she takes inspiration wherever she finds it. “Last year, I was driving home on Halloween night, after dropping my son off at a party,” recalls Schneider, “and the road was so dark and creepy I knew it had to be in my book. That was the seed, and the emotional backdrop, that opened up the first scene.”

And when she gets stuck? Well, Panera Bread comes to the rescue. Every Monday, Schneider meets up at a local Panera Bread bakery-cafe with the members of her writers’ group. “We’ve been getting together at Panera Bread ever since this one opened seven years ago,” says Schneider. “We read each other’s work and give each other feedback - it’s a really productive relationship. But when we work out plot details like how to kill off a character, we get some funny looks from the other customers.”

Schneider also leads a series of writer’s workshops twice a year at the Panera Bread Community Room. “I call it Writers’ Boot Camp,” she explains. We meet for six weeks in a row. Everybody gets half an hour to read their work aloud and receive a solid critique. We go from the germ of a book idea, through the final draft, to finding an agent. It’s fun and really productive.”

But Schneider’s main focus is on finishing her own novel, which she’s polishing up and getting ready to send off to her agent. So, with her index cards and her computer, she’s plugging away at her local Panera Bread bakery-cafe most weekdays, sipping coffee, maybe nibbling on a Greek salad, and hopping on the Internet whenever she needs to do a bit of research. And when her book is published, right up front there will be an acknowledgement of the Panera Bread bakery-cafe on McKnight Road in Pittsburgh. “There’s really not another place like it,” she says.

Thinking About Writing?

It’s as easy as ABC. Published author, and writing teacher and coach Judy Schneider offers these tips for aspiring writers

Always take notes. Schneider likes index cards - they’re easy to stash in pocket or purse - but you can use anything from your smartphone to a memo pad. Write down everything that comes to mind: interesting thoughts, reflections on your past experiences, quirky observations, snippets of overheard dialogue, news stories, etc. Every so often, read through your notes and look for a theme. Are you always writing about crime? Consider writing a mystery. Are relationships your focus? Maybe romance is your genre. If your notes are chock-full of random facts, maybe you should focus on nonfiction.

Be a reader. Go to your library or bookstore and read every how-to writing book you can find. For a list of good reference books to dive into, visit Schneider’s website and read her reviews.

Check out a writing workshop, conference, or seminar. It’s a great way to meet other writers, learn the nuts and bolts of writing, and discover the ins and outs of the publishing industry.

Publish Date: January 4, 2011

Newnan, Georgia, is a small town of about 22,000 located 45 minutes south of downtown Atlanta. And like many communities these days, some people there are out of work and struggling financially.

Panera Bread® associate Kimberly McElroy witnessed this situation firsthand. She works in the catering department at the bakery-cafe on Bullsboro Drive in Newnan. Every day as McElroy and her team of Panera Bread associates made their deliveries throughout the area, they saw the need. But instead of just driving past the rougher neighborhoods with their windows rolled up and doors locked, they got an idea.

“They asked if it would be possible to feed a needy family every day for the entire holiday season,” says Larry Underwood, an operating partner of six Panera Bread bakery-cafes in the Atlanta metro area, including the one in Newnan. “My general manager, Anastasia Held, and I immediately said, ‘Let’s go for it.’”

McElroy and her team worked with local churches and community groups to identify 32 worthy recipients and families. Each day from November 29 through December 30, they’re providing a full Panera Bread meal of soup, salad, sandwiches, and dessert to the underprivileged.

“We’re not just sending gift cards either,” points out Underwood. “We’re personally delivering the meals and getting to know the people.”

Although the “Home for the Holidays” program, as it’s been dubbed, is only operating out of the Newnan location right now, Underwood says he’d like to see it adopted by other Panera Bread bakery-cafes, both local and national.

“Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who can’t afford to be regular Panera Bread customers,” he says, “but that doesn’t mean we can’t reach out to them and share some of our great food and warmth.”

Publish Date: December 1, 2010

The housing market is booming in Chicago and St. Louis - well, at least the gingerbread housing market. Each December for the last five years, Panera Bread^® and Saint Louis Bread Co.^® associates and their families have been participating in a fun event that also benefits local charity.

As early as October, bakery-cafes in each city are invited to enter teams in the competition. Although the events are organized and held separately, they often have the same theme. (Last year’s was gingerbread houses inspired by Disney castles.) Dozens of teams and hundreds of people turn out at a local gym in St. Louis and the Panera training center in Chicago for the daylong event.

And the competition can get intense. Bakers supply sheets of sturdy gingerbread for the basic house structure, along with candies and other decorations. But because Panera or Saint Louis Bread Co. gift cards, brand merchandise, and pride are at stake, the more serious teams bring their own building materials and even architectural plans.

“One of last year’s winners had a castle with an entire marketplace inside,” says Dan Lukstein, a Panera Bread bakery market manager who organizes the Chicago event. “They preprepared mini loaves of bread, hung a little Panera sign over the gates, and had characters like Rapunzel in a window.”

The contest in St. Louis involves Neighborhood Houses, an organization that serves low-income children and families in the area. Each year, about two-dozen kids, ranging in age from 5 to 12, get to attend the event and receive holiday gifts. (Lukstein is looking to do something similar in the Chicago market; Detroit is also doing its first contest this year.)

Some of the finished houses are displayed in bakery-cafes, but most are taken home. Sandy Montgomery, the associate director of development for Neighborhood Houses, remembers driving two brothers from last year’s event. “They wouldn’t let me put their gingerbread house in a box in the trunk,” she says. “They insisted on holding it on their laps so it would be perfect when they showed their mom.”

Publish Date: December 1, 2010

Saundra Hunt, at the Panera Bread bakery-cafe in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, with a Christmas card given to her by a student in the Akron Urban League’s after-school program. The card offered her support while her children served in the military.

As a 17-year-old high school senior, Jasmine Hunt needed her parents’ consent in order to register for the U.S. Air Force delayed-entry program. And her mother, Saundra, will never forget that day.

“I sat there looking at the paper and thinking ‘I’m signing my child away,’” she says. “Even though my husband is a Marine veteran and we were familiar with the military, it’s totally different when your child is enlisting. I realized that if our country went to war, my baby might have to go too.”
That moment, combined with the enlistment of her older son, James, two years later in the Marine Corps, taught Saundra firsthand how helpless and alone a parent can feel in such a situation. So in November 2001, she launched the Family & Friends Connected Military Support Group. For the last five years, it’s been meeting at the Panera Bread® bakery-cafe in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, the second Friday evening of every month.

The group offers physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and monetary support to anyone with family or friends serving in a branch of the military, either stateside or abroad. Experts on such topics as post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide prevention have addressed previous meetings.

“When someone you love goes away to boot camp or their first duty station or are deployed, you need information,” explains Hunt, who lives in nearby Akron. “They’re on a journey, and our group stands in the gap to help friends and family understand and support them.”

Of course, the holidays are the busiest time of year for Hunt. Her group not only sends care packages to those stationed overseas, but it also organizes special events, entertainment, and other activities for members, so they don’t feel so alone.

What can you do to support those in the military this holiday season? It’s simple, says Hunt: “Go to your local recruiting station and tell the men and women there that you’re grateful for their service. Or just say thank you to a veteran. Or, if you know a neighbor who has someone serving, reach out, and ask if there’s anything you can do for him or her. Believe me, little things like that go a long way.”

Publish Date: December 1, 2010

Claire Celsi (in front of laptop) and members of the Central Iowa Bloggers discuss their craft during their monthly gathering at the Panera Bread bakery-cafe on University Avenue in Clive, Iowa.

If you’re looking to launch a career, whether it’s your first or your fifth, the best strategy may not be more interviewing or schooling. It may be blogging.

“Most people are skeptical about social media and whether anyone will listen to what they have to say,” says Claire Celsi, owner of The Public Relations Project, a PR and social media consulting firm; a part-time adjunct professor at Drake University; and a spokesperson for the Central Iowa Bloggers (CIB), a group that meets the first Friday of every month at the Panera Bread® bakery-cafe on University Avenue in nearby Clive, Iowa.

“But a blog can be the beginning of many opportunities. Some of our members have developed national followings and launched new careers.”

The CIB (www.centraliowabloggers.com) serves as a collective mentor for new and existing bloggers in the area. Celsi says 50 to 100 people normally show up for the gatherings, which are really just big mixers. There is no formal agenda; it’s simply a chance to mingle, make friends, and gather advice. You’ll find everyone from attorneys to marketing experts and financial consultants to college interns. “A recent joiner was a woman starting a jewelry business,” says Celsi.

How can you become a successful blogger? Here are four tips from the CIB and Celsi, whose own blog is (www.publicrelationsprincess.com):

Be passionate: If you can’t come up with at least 50 things to write about in your topic area, either broaden it or pick another subject.

Be prolific: Blog three or more times per week. The more content you generate, the more likely your blog will turn up in searches.

Be out there: To find things to write about, read other blogs and, most importantly, leave comments. This supports your fellow bloggers and steers people to your blog. (If the comment feature does not include a URL field, leave your blog’s URL in the comment box itself.) Likewise, use Twitter and Facebook to let your fans know when you have a new post and drive traffic. (To help fit your blog address into a tiny tweet, use URL shrinking tools.)rn

Be patient: The average blog does not get much traffic or generate comments for a while. Don’t even judge the success of yours for at least a year. For inspiration, peruse Time magazine’s Best Blogs of 2010 list (Best Blogs of 2010)

Who knows? Perhaps one day yours will be there too.

Publish Date: November 8, 2010

There’s an unusual sign on a table at the Panera Bread® bakery-cafe in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. It reads “Reserved,” and it’s meant for a very special customer. Ninety-three-year-old Raymond Logue has been stopping in for lunch nearly every day for the last decade. Although our bakery-cafes usually don’t reserve tables, manager Debbie Manteuffel made an exception. “Anyone who comes in my cafe for 10 years and turns 90 deserves one,” she says.

Logue was born in 1917 and is a former vice president of manufacturing for the Ford Motor Company. He worked alongside Lee Iacocca and says his proudest career accomplishment was helping create the Mustang. “I was the chief body engineer when it was being developed,” he recalls. “I would look at various clay models with Iacocca and help determine manufacturing feasibility…. Iacocca was very dynamic and decisive. He never left any question about what he wanted.”

Even though age has slowed him a bit (he goes for dialysis three times weekly and had to give up bowling), Logue still lives independently and drives a bright blue Ford Fusion. And he hasn’t lost his sense of humor either. Manteuffel recalls that the huge “Bread” portion of her outdoor Panera sign fell off during a windstorm and nearly hit him. The next day Logue came in wearing a Ford hard hat. “He’s always having fun like that,” says Manteuffel. “In fact, he invited everyone who works at the cafe to his 90th birthday party.”

Logue, who has four children and six grandkids, attributes his longevity to practicing “everything in moderation.” His diet is also pretty healthful, as he orders coffee, Low-Fat Chicken Noodle soup and a Smoked Turkey Breast sandwich (“on French with mayonnaise or mustard, nothing else”) every day.

But Panera Bread is more than a place to eat for Logue; it’s a place to socialize. “I like the food, the atmosphere and especially the people,” he says. Manteuffel adds that the women who exercise at a nearby gym also admire him.

“Two weeks ago, for the first time since my wife passed away in 2004, I accepted a luncheon invitation from one of the ladies,” admits Logue.
And you can bet their table is already reserved.

Publish Date: November 3, 2010

Jack is sitting quietly. Max isn’t pestering for treats. And Chester, exhausted from all the excitement, has fallen asleep. No, this isn’t a well-behaved family having dinner at Panera Bread. Rather, it’s an outing for Paws Giving Independence (PGI) at the Panera Bread bakery-cafe on West Lake Avenue in Peoria, Illinois. Jack, Max and Chester are service dogs.

PGI (www.givingindependence.org)is a nonprofit, volunteer organization that trains and places service dogs free of charge with disabled kids and adults in central Illinois. When codirector Donna Kosner was searching for a place to host a training session/get-together, she thought of her local Panera Bread bakery-cafe because the staff is always so welcoming there.

“Even though we’re protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act, not every place is happy to see you walk in with a dog,” explains Kosner, a third grade teacher who helped her daughter, Michelle, and Michelle’s best friend, Brandi Arnold, bring their idea for PGI to life. “In fact, we had 25 people and 11 dogs show up for this outing, which is way more than I told the manager to expect, but they still accommodated us,” she says.

After completing six to 18 months of training with a foster family, a service dog goes everywhere with its new owner. So taking them to busy stores, movie theaters and especially restaurants that smell as good as Panera Bread, is an important part of teaching discipline.

Kosner, who has 16 dogs in various stages of training, sees the animals as a bridge between those with disabilities and those without. She tells the story of a 24-year-old woman - a quadriplegic on a ventilator - who, although cognitively fine, can be intimidating to some people. “She told me that before she got her dog, people didn’t know whether to even look at her,” says Kosner. “But now they see her dog and ask questions about it, and the gap has been bridged.”

Kosner says it works similarly with disabled kids who make connections at school through their dogs. And occasionally, there’s even the story of a service dog saving a life, as when a wheelchair topples over and Jack or Max or Chester nose the emergency button for help.

“We’ll definitely go back to Panera,” adds Kosner, “It’s not only great training for the dogs, but it’s also a positive experience for the handlers to see all their hard work pay off as the dogs behave so well.”

Publish Date: November 3, 2010

Each year on the day before Thanksgiving, Panera Bread® celebrates Founder’s Day. In many of our bakery-cafes, you’ll find balloons, snacks and a general spirit of celebration and gratitude.

That’s because it was on this day in 1987 in Kirkwood, Missouri, that Ken Rosenthal opened the first Saint Louis Bread Co.® bakery-cafe. He didn’t have any bagels or free Wi-Fi to offer, but he did have a knack for handcrafting artisan bread. His sourdough, which was made from a special starter that he’d hand-carried back in a cooler from San Francisco, was an instant hit. Although total sales for that day were just $487, it was a beginning.

By 1993, there were 19 “Bread Co’s” (the name locals use to refer to them) throughout suburban St. Louis. They were doing so well that they called up Ron Shaich to help them think about growth or franchising options since Shaich had merged his original Cookie Jar shop in Boston with the fledgling bakery chain Au Bon Pain and then taken it public in 1991. With his partner, Louis Kane, Shaich purchased the Saint Louis Bread Co. and began making plans with Rosenthal to expand the brand.

Excited with the potential of the brand, the management team eventually realized that significant expansion would require two things. First, the company needed a less “local” brand name. Second, resources needed to be refocused on the essence of what the company does best – bake artisan bread. Both things happened in the late 1990s as the name Panera, which means “time of bread,” was adopted and the Au Bon Pain chain was sold.

The last decade has been one of incredible success for Panera Bread. It completed the purchase of the Phoenix-based Paradise Bakery & Café in 2009 and now has over 1,400 restaurants operating under the Panera Bread, Saint Louis Bread Co. and Paradise Bakery & Café names in 40 U.S. states and Ontario, Canada. Fortune magazine recently named Panera one of the 100 fastest-growing companies.

From executive chairman Shaich’s humble beginnings in his Boston cookie shop and Rosenthal’s initial Saint Louis bakery to a business that’s now a nearly $3 billion concept, Panera’s a history that has almost as many tasty twists as one of our Pecan Braids – and one that every year we take time to be just as thankful for.

Publish Date: November 3, 2010

Charlene Burwell

There’s a feeling you get when you come home late at night and someone has left a light on just for you. No matter how long and difficult the day, it makes you smile and feel welcome.

Residents of Omaha, Nebraska, got that feeling recently when they went past the Panera Bread in the Eagle Run Shopping Center early one morning after a fierce storm had knocked out power to the community. The bakery-cafe’s lights were the only ones on and, inside, general manager Charlene Burwell was charged up. Despite having to close early the previous day and shuttle her perishable inventory to another Panera, the coffee was brewing and she’d even been able to bake a few bagels and bear claws.

“When I arrived at 4:45 a.m. and realized we were the only place around with electricity, I knew people would need somewhere to cool off, charge their cell phones, use the facilities, and basically let everyone know they were fine,” says Burwell. “It turned out to be a busy morning…. Some people were without power for four or five days.”

Even more notable is that Burwell didn’t charge customers for their purchases. Because the storm had disrupted her computerized registers, she offered what she had for free. If anyone insisted on paying, the money went into a cup. By the time the registers came back online at 9 a.m., she’d given away $400 to $500 worth of food and beverages.

“Customers couldn’t believe we weren’t concerned about the money we were losing,” says Burwell. “But it’s important to be there when the community needs you.”

People in the area now know they have a safe, friendly place to go – even if it’s just been a hectic day at work.

Publish Date: September 8, 2010

Natalie Daniels is escorted down the aisle

Jeff and Natalie Daniels were supposed to be married at 10 a.m. on August 16, 2008, in an outdoor ceremony at Lake Eola in Orlando, Florida. The bride was 45 minutes late but, unfortunately, Tropical Storm Fay arrived right on time with wind-swept rain that quickly soaked guests, drove the bride into her car, and sent the preacher scurrying into a nearby Panera Bread.

“We didn’t have a backup plan,” recalls Jeff. “I was so soaked, the dye from my tuxedo went right through my shirt. But then the reverend called and said it’s nice and dry in Panera, and the manager was willing to let us get married in there. I thought this is going to be one of the strangest weddings ever….”
The Reverend Glynn Ferguson and the Panera staff took charge, handing out towels and moving tables. A cloth was draped over a trashcan, and the couple’s Unity Candle was set on top. Meanwhile, the groom and his party were sequestered in the men’s room while guests formed a canopy of umbrellas so the bride could get from her car to the bakery-cafe.

“Once everyone was in position, I gave the staff the nod, they turned up the classical music, the bride and her father walked down the aisle, and I married them,” says Reverend Ferguson. “Everyone clapped, customers included. It was one of the most unusual weddings I’ve ever done, but it was warm, inviting, classy, and it sure smelled wonderful.”

“Natalie and I plan on going back to that Panera for our anniversary and giving the staff a photo of us taken in front of the store that day,” says Jeff. “Whenever we tell people this story, they can’t believe it. But it was very special, and we’ll never forget it.”

Publish Date: September 8, 2010

In Wrentham, Massachusetts, Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey houses a small order of about 50 Cistercian nuns called the Trappistine Sisters. They make candy to support their abbey along with bread to feed themselves. When they recently began building a new candy factory, they were unable to use their bread ovens.
But then a small miracle happened.

“We have a regular customer named Tony who usually comes in for a bagel and coffee every morning,” says Shaena Angeleri, an assistant manager at the Panera Bread® bakery-cafe in nearby East Walpole, Massachusetts. “But one day he came in and ordered 10 loaves of bread. I said, ‘Tony, what’s going on?’ That’s when he told me about this group of nuns and what was happening at their abbey… I just instantly knew I had to help in some way.”

Angeleri called Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey, spoke with the sister in charge (most are under a vow of silence), and promptly set up a time to drop off leftover Panera breads and pastries. The deliveries ended up continuing for nearly three months.

“They were so appreciative,” recalls Angeleri. “They sent thank-you cards to my manager and regional manager, but best of all they sent us loads of their delicious handmade candy, which I later found out is world famous. The chocolate almond bark is amazing.”

The Sisters are back in business now. You can read more about them and order some of their Trappistine Quality Candy by visiting www.abbey.msmabbey.org.

“I’m so proud that Panera supports things like this,” Angeleri says. “We’re not just about making money or an amazing fresh product; we’re about making people’s day.”

Publish Date: September 8, 2010