Returning for its 24th year, August 13 marks Miracle Treat Day at Dairy Queen. Net proceeds from every Blizzard sold support children’s hospitals across Canada, including the Children’s Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre. For Children’s Health Foundation, it’s one of the biggest fundraising days of the year. Becky Malacaria, director of corporate partnerships at the Children’s Health Foundation, says donations help expand specialized care and resources for the Children’s Hospital in London. “We use the funds from Miracle Treat Day to purchase things like our neonatal beds and kits, the Omni beds where we take care of preemies and micro preemies,” Malacaria said. “We also use them for portable ultrasound machines and are currently raising money for an X-ray machine. We use funds towards pediatric oncology support and rare disease as well as surgery and surgical equipment.” She says thousands of Windsor-Essex families utilize the Children’s Hospital in London each year. “At Children’s Hospital see 60,000 children on annual basis, on average, and from the Windsor-Essex region, we’re at about 3,600 children, and that’s unique children, not visits,” she said. She says taking part is an easy way to give back while enjoying a summer favourite. “Miracle Treat Day provides an opportunity for people to come out, buy an ice cream that they might want to treat themselves to, but they’re also giving 100 per cent of those proceeds back to the children’s hospital, so everybody wins,” Malacaria said. There are six Dairy Queen locations across Windsor-Essex, with restaurants in Windsor, LaSalle, Kingsville, and Belle River. Last year alone, DQ locations across the region helped Children’s Health Foundation raise more than $118,000 through Miracle Treat Day’s one-day-only fundraising event.
