IHOP is launching two programs to raise awareness for its annual free pancake giveaway fundraiser benefitting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and other local charities.  

The family-friendly restaurant chain invites pancake lovers to receive a wake up call Feb. 28, 2012, IHOP’s National Pancake Day, from a teen heartthrob, an NFL Hall of Famer, a GRAMMY-nominated singer, or one of the most beautiful women in America.  

Flapjack fanatics can also participate in IHOP’s “Stacks for Good Acts” national online contest, which will reward one lucky winner with a year’s supply of free pancakes on National Pancake Day.

To spread the word about National Pancake Day, several Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ celebrity supporters have joined forces to “wake up” fans and encourage them to seek out free pancakes on Tuesday, Feb. 28. 

Hotcake enthusiasts can register to receive a wake up call on National Pancake Day from NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals co-founders John Schneider and Marie Osmond, singers David Archuleta and GRAMMY-nominated Jordin Sparks, Twilight star Boo Boo Stewart, Disney XD star Brendan Meyer, and the recently crowned Miss America 2012 Laura Kaeppeler.

Wake up calls can be requested at IHOPPancakeDay.com through Friday, Feb. 24, 2012.

National Pancake Day is also an exciting date for participants in IHOP’s “Stacks For Good Acts” online contest, which invites good Samaritans to submit a story of 250 words or fewer about a good deed they or someone they know did in 2011. 

The author of the winning entry, who will be announced on National Pancake Day, will receive free pancakes for one year (defined as one free short stack of buttermilk pancakes per day for 365 days).  

Entries will be judged on emotional impact, originality, and entertainment value, and they can be submitted anytime at IHOPPancakeDay.com between now and the end of the contest at 11:59 p.m. ET on Feb. 24, 2012. Complete "Stacks for Good Acts" contest rules can be found at IHOPPancakeDay.com.

On National Pancake Day, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012, IHOP will give guests one free short stack of its signature buttermilk pancakes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at more than 1,500 restaurants throughout the United States. In return, IHOP will ask guests to make a voluntary donation to support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and other local charities, hoping to break a record by raising more than $2.7 million.

For more information about National Pancake Day, to find a local IHOP, or to donate to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, please visit www.IHOPPancakeDay.com.