Whataburger upping the ante with sponsorship of Five Hills 2022 royalty

By DAVID MORRIS
Leader-Press

At the same time new members of the Five Hills Scholarship pageant are crowned   on March 26, a team from the Copperas Cove Whataburger will be representing central Texas at the awards ceremony for the biennual Whatagames in Houston.  
Five Hills Ambassador Dawn Hale and members of the royalty court stopped the Copperas Cove store on Tuesday to wish them luck and congratulations on their accomplishments. 
“It really warms my heart to see a corporate business like WhatABurger investing in the Five Hills Scholarship Program,” Hale said. “Their partnership will help the winners with scholarships to continue their education and reaching bigger stars. It will help build team work in the community and will help inspire our younger generation who see that commitment to pay in forward in life.” 
This best in the business battle at Whatagames  as more than 850 teams started the competition and the final 15 teams competing  to run a restaurant, serve up bold flavors and offer extraordinary customer service.
“This partnership just feels right,” Field Marketing Coordinator Anfernee Young said. “Whataburger gives back to the community in many different ways, the royalty give back with service platforms, it just makes sense that we partner together.”
Whataburger has provided meal coupons for contestant prize bags in the past. 
But this year, starting with the 2022 pageant, Whataburger has have donated $1,000 for the program that has given back to Copperas Cove than $400,000 in scholarships, sponsorships and prizes in the brief 9-year program.
“We wanted to do more this year with them,” Copperas Cove Whataburger operating partner Liza Wells said. “This allows us to help reach more people in our community who need the help.”
Whataburger Family Foundation scholarships are another way Whataburger cares for its families, members and community. In addition to these annual awards, Whataburger has committed to training and developing the next generation of leaders for the hospitality industry by ensuring all members have the chance to grow and build their careers within the company. 
“As a person who loves to support our great city I could not be prouder to give back to our Copperas Cove Whataburger team, with a video helping cheer them on for their big stage event,” Hale said. “This is what we do as a community we support each other!!”
Visiting royalty shared the platforms of service with Young and Wells during their visit, with much discussion on the “Blessings in a Backpack” program that serves the homeless student population of Copperas Cove ISD and the recent Chocolate Fantasia that raised funds for special needs playground equipment.
Whataburger has a 13-state footprint, with the Copperas Cove location employing 81 employees managed by Wells. 
As a regional coordinator, Young is responsible for the hometown restaurants from Waco to Austin, including those on I14 in Killeen, Copperas Cove and Harker Heights.
Whataburger offers a Feeding Student Success program that empowers students on their educational journey providing resource rooms and investing in family members’ futures.  
The Whataburger Family Foundation has provided more than $1 million in scholarships to 270 recipients in 2020-21 academic year. 
Rehearsal for the annual pageant is Saturday with practice beginning at 9 a.m. 
The Five Hills Scholarship Program pageant will be Saturday, March 26 at the Copperas Cove Civic Center. 
Doors open at noon for the annual pageant and 8:30 for rehearsal.