Dave Thomas

In 1990, President George Bush asked Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s, to be the spokesperson for a new adoption initiative, “Adoption Works…For Everyone.” Dave, an adoptee and adoption advocate, enthusiastically accepted the challenge and began to speak out publicly to encourage people to consider foster care adoption. He appeared in a national public service campaign and encouraged other business leaders to offer adoption benefits as part of their employee benefit plans.

Wanting to do more, he established the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption in 1992 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) public charity. The Foundation formalized Dave and Wendy’s commitment to finding permanent homes for foster care children and provided a national voice for the 150,000 children in North America’s child welfare system waiting for a forever family.

Over the years, Dave’s low-key, simple sincerity helped spread the word about adoption. He testified before Congress in support of adoption tax credits and adoption legislation, appeared in television public service announcements, took his message to Canada and led the initiative to create the Adoption Stamp issued by the U.S. Postal Service in 2000.

Within the Wendy’s family, he created strong support for foster care adoption, leveraging the Foundation’s national voice through a dynamic partnership that continues to grow today.

The world lost a great advocate for children when Dave Thomas passed away on January 8, 2002. Dave was respected for being a talented and dedicated businessman—though his desire to help and care for the most vulnerable children in society was perhaps his greatest contribution. In honor of Dave, his Foundation will continue to commit itself to the vision he set forth: to ensure that every child in North America has a permanent and loving family to call their own.

Visit www.wendys.com to learn more about Dave Thomas.