Papa John's founder and former CEO John Schnatter plans to fund a three-story lodging facility for the National Baptist Convention of America's retreat center in Louisville, a news release said.
The announcement was made during the Baptist convention's annual meeting in Oklahoma City, where he spoke to more than 1,000 delegates from around the country.
National Baptist Convention of America headquarters is at Simmons College, a historically black college, at 1000 S. Fourth Street. We reported in 2017 that it had purchased more than 50 acres of farmland at 8800 Mitchell Lane, near Dixie Highway and Third Street Road in south Louisville, for a new retreat center.
The price of the new facility isn't included in the release. The money will come through his Schnatter Family Foundation.
“This donation is not about me. It’s about the lives that are going to be impacted, the communities that will be transformed and the young people who will go to school and grow to be great businessmen, businesswomen, doctors, engineers and teachers,” Schnatter said during the announcement.
“As the president of National Baptist Convention of America International and an individual I want to say thank you John, thank you from all of us— this is truly how you do better,” Samuel Tolbert, president of the National Baptist Convention of America, responded in the release.
Louisville-based Papa John's has been distancing itself from Schnatter since a report published on Forbes.com in July 2018 said he used a racial slur during a media training call. He resigned as a trustee for the University of Louisville and as the chairman of the board of Papa John's after that. He's since left the board of the pizza chain altogether, though he is still the company's largest shareholder.
This donation comes just after Schnatter announced a gift of $1 million from the Schnatter Family Foundation to Simmons College and the National Baptist Convention of America. Simmons College is also the official school of the National Baptist Convention of America International.
The National Baptist Convention of America International is made up of 3.5 million baptists worldwide with more than 5,000 member churches.
A look at Papa John's International founder John Schnatter through the years.