MOOSE JAW — Cool Blizzard Treats were hot sellers at the two Dairy Queen locations in Moose Jaw on Aug. 14, as hundreds of people visited to support the 23rd annual DQ Miracle Treat Day.
At the Main Street North location, manager Ann Angeles said the outlet was packed throughout the day and more than doubled its business compared to last year’s event.
The manager partly attributed the busyness to Kortni, the youth ambassador for the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital, who required support from the health-care venue in December. Angeles joked that half of Central Butte visited to support the young girl.
“She was ecstatic (to help) and did the drive-thru,” Angeles remarked.
All the money raised in The Friendly City will stay in Saskatchewan and will support the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation, one of 12 such foundations in Canada.
In 2024, both DQ locations — the other on Caribou Street West — together sold over 1,600 Blizzards and raised more than $11,000. The company also donated $2,000 to the pediatric ward at Dr. F.H. Wigmore Regional Hospital to give hope to sick children.
“This is a fantastic event for us. We are so thrilled to host again,” said Angeles. “It’s been a pleasure to do fundraising for sick kids in Saskatchewan.”
Businessman Jim Braun has owned the Dairy Queen outlets in Moose Jaw since 1997, while Angeles has been manager since 2017 and her husband has been managing since 2015.
On Miracle Treat Day, the Main Street North location had an inflatable bouncy castle outside, while inside, there were balloons, face painting, Morty the Moose from the WHL Moose Jaw Warriors and a DQ mascot.
Angeles said she enjoyed helping make thousands of blizzards, noting that staff prepared hundreds ahead of time — 511 at last check — since the business accepted pre-orders from companies in Moose Jaw and the area.
Continuing, she said the number of Blizzard Treats that staff have made on Miracle Treat Day continues to increase every year. She attributed this to more businesses becoming familiar with the province-wide fundraiser and wanting to contribute. Moreover, Dairy Queen is engaging more people through posts on social media.
A news release from International Dairy Queen said the company has donated over $54 million to children’s hospital foundations through the Children’s Miracle Network over the past two decades.
Last year, the tasty treat day raised $249,000 in Saskatchewan, with those funds supporting the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital and the more than 83,000 kids who receive help and thousands of moms-to-be who require prenatal care. Those children and mothers represent 575 communities across the province.
“Thanks to the dedicated support of partners like Dairy Queen and Children's Miracle Network in Canada, we are excited (about) everyone’s favourite fundraiser (that happened) across the province on Aug. 14,” said Jada Kook, community engagement manager at Jim Pattison Children's Hospital Foundation.
“When you (treated) your employees, your family or yourself to a Blizzard Treat at Dairy Queen on Miracle Treat Day, your support (helped) children and families stay in our province to receive the critical care they require.”
The Children’s Miracle Network raises funds and awareness for 170 member hospitals, 14 of which are in Canada.
