Copperas Cove Domino’s hosts military appreciation event

By PAMELA GRANT
Cove Leader-Press

Domino’s in Copperas Cove gave back in a big way this weekend with its 13th annual Military Appreciation event. 
Sunday afternoon, Domino’s gave away hundreds of free pizzas and other goodies in honor of all that the military has done for our country. 
“We just want to give back to the military and their families,” said Mike Bouvier, District Manager for Domino’s. “They do a lot for us. This is something that’s small for us, but big for them.”
Bouvier said that last year they gave away approximately 600 free pizzas and they expected to give away a similar amount this year.
This year’s event featured live music, balloons, face painting, games, and of course, free pizza! The event was made possible thanks to dozens of Domino’s volunteers from across the state coming in to keep things running smoothly. 
Some travelled from as far away as Austin, Houston, Beaumont, and beyond to help out. 
Other businesses also volunteered to helped make the event a success. Daisy’s Flower Shop provided decorations, Coca-Cola provided drinks, Bits ‘n Bites Cake Shop provided cupcakes and other goodies, and Tony’s Karaoke & Variety Dance D.J. provided the musical entertainment.
Chris Herd, Regional Director for Domino’s, said that the event was possible thanks to Ingrid Keifer who presented the idea to him approximately 13 years ago. 
Kiefer wanted to do something above and beyond to demonstrate their appreciation of everything the military does.
“We get a lot of thank you’s, and our return to that is, ‘No, thank you!’ It’s an honor to serve those who actually serve our country,” said Herd. “Businesses can’t just take, take, take. They need to be a part of the community, and they need to give back in some way to that community. Being that we’re in a military community, it only makes sense that we should focus on our military families. For those of us who have not served our country, having the opportunity to serve those who do serve our country is a really big deal.”
Throughout the afternoon, attendees were able to top their pizzas on their own using as many ingredients as they wanted. They were excited to be able to consume their own creations.
Stephanie Ramirez attended the event with her husband, Christopher Ramirez, and her four children Sahari (9), CJ (8), Poseidon (7), and Layla (6).
“We try to stay busy because he’s going to be deploying soon,” said Stephanie Ramirez. “I’m grateful that they do this. This is amazing. The kids get to learn how to make pizza, and it’s fun.”