Red Deerians head to Dairy Queen for Blizzards on Miracle Treat Day

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“Everybody around here knows somebody that spent some time in those hospitals,” he said.

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He added that they are proud to be able to, “help people and reach out into the community and help kids out who otherwise can’t really help themselves.”

Hamill says he remembers when the event began with the sale of sundaes before transitioning to the brand-famous Blizzards, becoming a fundraising success.

The Red Deer locations were the first in Western Canada, and second in the country, to reach the million dollar mark, he recounted. Now having raised $1.2 million over the years, they were given one of Dairy Queen’s highest awards, the Beacon of Courage, in 2019 for their efforts.

Hamill says the downtown location, and the Red Deer group as a whole, have been ranked number one in Canada for fundraising during Miracle Treat Day. They reached six-figure donations for the first time in 2013, and eight times after that, and hope to do the same this year.

However, he says the team doesn’t do it for the accolades but rather, on helping the children as they do through other year-round initiatives like their paper Miracle Balloons donations stuck along the store’s walls, involvement in local sports and supporting the pediatric ward at the Red Deer Regional Hospital.

He says he is continuously amazed with the generosity and passion of his caring staff to raise funds.

“That comes from teenagers and young adults that are willing to stand at the front counter and ask every single customer. It’s attributed greatly to our staff and the people who work the front line,” he said.

Hamill says the strong emphasis on community stems from his grandfather, Gord Hamill, who purchased his first franchise in the 60’s, and his father Rob Hamill, who continued the legacy.

“The biggest thing is that, from a young age, I always saw my grandpa and saw how passionate he was about giving back to the community in any way we could,” he said. “It’s been engraved in me that if you take care of the community, the community will take care of you. So that’s why we’ve been able to be in business for going on 60 years here.”