Cold Stone Creamery Hosts Month-Long Fundraiser to Benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation; Free Ice Cream at the Fifth Annual World's Largest Ice Cream Social.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Come indulge in free ice cream for a cause! This September, more than 1,350 Cold Stone Creamery locations are gearing up for the World's Largest Ice Cream Social, an annual nationwide fundraiser benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation(R). This year's Ice Cream Social will take place on Thurs., Sept. 28 from 5-8 p.m. at all Cold Stone Creamery stores nationwide, including Guam and Puerto Rico. Customers attending the social will receive a free 3 oz. serving of "Cole's Creation" while being encouraged to make a donation to this worthy cause.

Each year, one lucky wish child is selected to be a "Junior Tastemaster" and is given the opportunity to create the unique Make-A-Wish Creation to be given away during the social. This year's Creation was created by Cole, age 10, from Denver. A huge fan of chocolate, Cole's Creation consists of chocolate ice cream with yellow cake, chocolate chips and rainbow sprinkles.

In addition to donations made during the World's Largest Ice Cream Social, customers will have the opportunity to personalize paper wish stars and post them in the stores with all proceeds benefiting the local chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Each Wish Star is $1 and available for purchase throughout the month of September. Also throughout the month of September, every Cold Stone customer will receive a $5 Savings Pass from 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, while supplies last. The savings pass is good for $5 off of any purchase at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, and $1 from every savings pass purchase will be donated back to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Customers may make their purchase by phone at 1-800-FLOWERS or online at www.1800flowers.com.

Donations from the month-long fundraiser and the 5th Annual World's Largest Ice Cream Social will help grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions, like Cole, who was so moved by the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, that he wished to travel to New York to meet the firefighters he had seen on television and admired greatly. Cole's wish came true in March of 2004 when he visited New York, where he was even sworn in as an honorary New York City firefighter by Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta.

Last year, the Fourth Annual World's Largest Ice Cream Cake Social resulted in a total donation of $751,943.06 due to the generous contributions of Cold Stone franchisees, employees and ice cream lovers. Nearly 1,000 stores participated, and the total amount raised was able to grant 123 heartfelt wishes.

Ice cream lovers are encouraged to visit their local Cold Stone Creamery on Thursday, Sept. 28 to participate in the World's Largest Ice Cream Social. Visit www.coldstonecreamery.com to find your nearest location.

About the Make-A-Wish Foundation

The Make-A-Wish Foundation(R) grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Born in 1980 when a group of caring individuals 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 71 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 more than 12,500 wishes a year and has granted more than 135,000 wishes in the United States since inception. For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit www.wish.org and discover how you can share the power of a wish(R).

About Cold Stone Creamery

Cold Stone Creamery delivers The Ultimate Ice Cream Experience(R) 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 an independently owned franchise system with more than 1,350 stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, Japan and Korea. For more information about Cold Stone Creamery, visit the company's Web site at www.coldstonecreamery.com.