Thursday was Dairy Queen’s 22nd Annual Miracle Treat Day and locations across the province united to make miracles happen for children in hospital.
With every Blizzard Treat sold net proceeds were donated to Saskatchewan’s Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation, the Saskatchewan member of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
“Every year we do this to support the kids in the hospital.,” said Roderick Suldan, the manager of the Prince Albert Dairy Queen. “These kids are human like us, they need love, they need care, they need the support and we will do this as long as we can.”
Sudan said the Prince Albert location easily sells more than 500 blizzards every year on Miracle Treat Day. Finally sale figures for the 2024 event were not available by press time. Last year, Saskatchewan generously supported this tasty treat day, raising $250,000.
“It’s honestly a really good cause,” said Gurpreet Bhangu, the co-owner of the Prince Albert Dairy Queen. “We live in Saskatchewan and our local hospital is Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation in Saskatoon, and almost every one of us has been in the hospital…. There are a lot of kids who are in need most of the time and sometimes some of them (have) critical health needs. It’s just for the support there. A lot of kids are waiting for their (treatment) and they have some diseases that take a long time to cure.”
Bhangu owns the Dairy Queen in Tisdale as well as Prince Albert. He said both locations have always had plenty of success on Miracle Treat Day thanks to the local business community. Businesses will not only purchases blizzards, he explained, they will make an annual donation too.
Bhangu had a chance to tour the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital recently as a Saskatchewan ambassador for the Children’s Miracle Network. He said the tour emphasized just how important the hospital was.
“We actually feel very great working for the kids,” he said. “It’s such a great cause. It can be anyone’s kid who is looking for care, and once they have it and the care is right there, you feel good. It’s not just us. It’s the whole community that comes together for a great cause.”
For 22 years, Dairy Queen has donated more than $52 million to local children’s hospital foundations across the country. Dairy Queen’s staff, volunteers, and valued stakeholders collaborate throughout the year to bring attention to Miracle Treat Day and raise crucial funds across Canada.
“Thanks to the dedicated support of partners like Dairy Queen and Children’s Miracle Network in Canada, we are excited for everyone’s favourite fundraiser happening across the province on Aug. 8,” Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation community engagement manager Jada Kook said in a press release. “When you treat your employees, your family or yourself to a Blizzard Treat at Dairy Queen on Miracle Treat Day, you directly impact the lives of over 80,000 children and moms-to-be from 499 Saskatchewan communities who visit Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital each year. Your support helps these families stay in Saskatchewan to receive the critical care they need.”
In addition to purchasing Blizzard Treats, Dairy Queen will also be accepting donations on Miracle Treat Day. Contribution will go directly to Saskatchewan’s Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation, helping to provide life-saving equipment, innovative research, and vital programming at Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital and throughout the province for paediatric and maternal patients.
—with files from Jason Kerr/Daily Herald
