NEWS RELEASE
DAIRY QUEEN CANADA
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Dairy Queen Canada has recognized Sherry and Joe Schaap, owners of the Wasaga and (formerly) the Stayner Dairy Queen locations, as the company’s Miracle Maker Award recipients for 2020.
Each year, the Miracle Maker Award is awarded to one franchisee across the country that has gone above and beyond in their fundraising efforts and dedication to support local children’s hospitals. In 2020, Sherry and Joe raised more than $37.8K in support of The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), making them deserving recipients of this year’s award. In total, the Schaap family have raised more than $250,000 for SickKids at their Wasaga and Stayner DQ locations.
Although they recently sold the Stayner DQ location they will continue their fund-raising efforts in Wasaga.
Committed to children’s health both personally and professionally, Sherry and Joe have worked diligently with their teams and communities to raise much-needed funds for SickKids Hospital. While they faced challenges due to COVID-19, their heartfelt ambition led to impactful fundraising changes.
“Our goal this year was to make a difference in the lives that needed it the most,” says Sherry. “We didn’t want our fundraising for SickKids to be affected so we had to put our thinking caps on to change things up. I'm so proud of our community who continue to support us in reaching our fundraising goals.”
In addition to fundraising at their DQ location, the Schaap family also worked to raise money within their community, accepting donation to SickKids at Sherry’s mother’s celebrations of life. Raising money for children’s hospitals was a cause close to Sherry’s mom’s heart, who always contributed to the Schaap family’s bake sales raising money for SickKids.
Sherry and Joe continue to demonstrate their commitment and passion by motivating their staff and participating in every opportunity to support SickKids, which includes running numerous fundraising events throughout the year. Sherry has a natural ability to bring her community together, exciting both staff and community partners in whole-hearted participation in fundraising.
“The Schaap family’s commitment to this important cause has had a substantial impact at SickKids,” says Wendy Dempsey, associate director of cause marketing for SickKids. “Their sincere and passionate leadership fundraising in their DQ stores has contributed to more than $250,000 for SickKids. While DQ and its franchisees have invested heavily in the future of Canadian children, it with gratitude and delight that I recognize Sherry and Joe for their outstanding contribution in making a difference in the lives of so many.”
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