Blending Purpose and Impact: Tropical Smoothie Cafe Honors Educators Across The Country
In February 2025, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, in partnership with Campus Multimedia, launched Sunshine for Teachers, a national campaign honoring educators who spread sunshine in their communities.
Knowing that teachers often feel undervalued, Tropical Smoothie Cafe committed to uplifting schools and the communities they anchor by celebrating 20 joy‑spreading teachers, nominated by peers, parents, and students, with national recognition, thousands of dollars in rewards, and a whole lot of smoothies. As a fully integrated, purpose-driven initiative, the campaign elevated Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s goal of spreading positivity while driving local engagement across its 1,500+ U.S. locations.
Recognizing Teachers for Their Impact Nationwide
From over 11,000 heartfelt nominations, 20 teacher finalists were honored with more than $100,000 in prizes and a school‑wide smoothie party, delivering on Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s purpose‑driven mission to celebrate, reward, and uplift educators who inspire their entire communities.
Every teacher nominated received a Tropical Smoothie Cafe digital offer during Teacher Appreciation Week, turning gratitude into thousands of meaningful school touch-points. The program sparked high‑energy local pride and excitement, often amplified on social media and in local news, cementing Tropical Smoothie Cafe as a celebrated school partner in over 8.5k schools with a total population of over 7.5M students and staff.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Wins:
Celebrated educators in a highly visible, tangible way
Deepened brand affinity through authentic school-community engagement
Built national and local buzz through user-driven storytelling and recognition
Drove traffic and nominations through digital advertising, in-cafe, and influencer activations
11K
NOMINATIONS
$100K
IN PRIZING TO SCHOOLS
1,500
IN-CAFE PLACEMENTS
Grand-Prize Winners
Danny Kloosterman of Greeneview High School was crowned the grand-prize winning teacher after receiving thousands of votes from the public. Danny received a $10,000 dream vacation, Free Smoothies for a Year, and a $1,000 check for his school.
The top 19 first-prize winners also celebrated their big wins with school-wide smoothie parties and $1,000 check presentations to the teacher and to the school – distributing over 12,000 free smoothies through local franchisee efforts.
“The impact that it had on our school community was incredibly tangible – especially the encouragement aspect of it. Tropical Smoothie Cafe & Campus Multimedia partnering with our school was incredibly encouraging and uplifting. People rallied around me, and it was affirming for all of us and our identity as a school to see what we believe in and what we value. Thank you for your support of teachers.”
Campus Multimedia’s End-to-End Solution
Targeted communications direct to schools
Sunshine For Teachers Brand Identity
Custom website build
Print and digital promo collateral for schools and cafes
Paid and earned media placements
Full prizing fulfillment
Promo photo shoot & winner video shoot
Public relations efforts
Leaving a Legacy
Sunshine for Teachers not only amplified Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s community values but also built powerful emotional connections with families, educators, and schools across the nation. Through Campus Multimedia's expert campaign execution, localized experiences, and share-worthy storytelling, this campaign delivered measurable outcomes and lasting brand impact while putting deserving educators in the national spotlight.