Miracle Treat Day a success

Times Reporter

 

One day a year, every year, Dairy Queen restaurants donate the proceeds from Blizzard sales to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in their local area. Last year over $270,000 was donated to the Alberta Children’s Hospital, with the Strathmore location raising over $6,000 for the cause.  This year they have blown that number away, raising $10,300. 

“I think it’s just a combination of everybody’s excitement this year (that) just seemed to push it,” said DQ manager Rhonda Powell. 

The money came from a number of different things the store had going to help raise funds. There was windshield washing, face painting, build a bears, coin canisters, balloon sales and of course Blizzard sales. 

The day will also leave another memory with the staff – they filled their biggest order ever for Agrium Inc. Carseland Nitrogen Operations.

“One of the ladies husbands works there, and he wanted to take one for (himself) and his little group of people wanted to get Blizzards, and it just went from there. So they all put in an order and there was 334 Blizzards from them,” said Powell. 

She said their faithful supporters such as Home Hardware and Co-op also took part in the Miracle Treat Day, and other businesses also pre-ordered 30 or more Blizzards but, the order from Agrium Inc. was definitely the biggest order they have ever had. 

Even though it was raining, it didn’t dampen the spirits of the staff, and some of them still went out and tried to scrub windshields in the rain. 

Road construction in front of the location was also scheduled for that afternoon, and after speaking to someone on the construction crew, the crew came first thing in the morning and moved out of the way so the drive thru could remain open. 

Mayor Steve Grajczyk and Chief Administrative Officer Dwight Stanford were among the first volunteers helping make blizzards, which also included local firefighters, EMT’s, RCMP and numerous others. 

Though this was the most the Strathmore location has raised on Miracle Treat Day, Powell said it has definitely set a precedent for next year. 

“Every year we definitely try to always improve our goal and try to outdo ourselves from the year before,” said Powell.