Dairy Queen to donate $1 to Phoenix Children’s for every frozen treat sold on July 31

By Connor Van Ligten
Mail

Dairy Queen is holding a special promotion on July 31 at all locations in the valley, including their multiple locations in Mesa, to support charity.

For every frozen treat sold at any valley Dairy Queen location on July 31, Dairy Queen will donate $1 or more to Phoenix Children’s. The donations will support Phoenix Children’s Hope Fund, which will fuel research, technology, physician recruitment and more at the pediatric hospital. The campaign takes place on July 31 and is known as Miracle Treat Day.

Matthew Barrett, who owns multiple Dairy Queen locations in Mesa, said the campaign is a big deal for his restaurants. He looks forward to it every year.

“Miracle Treat Day for us is a big deal. We work all the way up to this starting at the beginning of the month with our fundraiser and our coupons that we hand out,” Barrett said. “We start with the kids and the team, so they’re very vocal about it. Once the day of Miracle Treat Day comes, we notify and talk to everyone who comes in the store, and sometimes they come back later in the day and bring their kids and other family members for dessert.”

Theming the campaign around frozen treats was a no-brainer, given how popular those items are at any Dairy Queen.

“The Blizzard’s a very popular item. Hitting off on the fan favorites is nice for us to promote our menu and the treats that we offer as we do change our menu here at Dairy Queen every year,” Barrett said. “And bringing back some of the DQ vault that we’re trying to promote where we’re bringing back some old fan favorites, and giving them the opportunity with making a great donation for the fundraiser.”

According to Alissa Parten, development officer at Phoenix Children’s Foundation, the donations to the hospital’s Hope Fund from Dairy Queen are often crucial to helping fund areas of need.

Parten said the Hope Fund wouldn’t be able to function without charitable partnerships with businesses such as Dairy Queen. Over 170 programs established through the Hope Fund are reliant on charitable donations to stay afloat.

“Animal assisted therapy, child life, so many of these programs are supported by the Hope Fund,” Parten said. “These donations are crucial to making these things happen. An incredible partner like Dairy Queen really makes a huge impact on those programs.”

Parten said Phoenix Children’s has partnered with Dairy Queen for a long time on this campaign.

Both sides benefit, as Dairy Queen sees an increase in business and Phoenix Children’s gets valuable donations to fund important programs.

“It shows the importance of giving back to the hospital and supporting our community businesses that support us,” Parten said, “It’s a win-win of a day and there’s no easier way to support the hospital than by visiting a Dairy Queen and getting a Blizzard.”

Overall, Barrett hopes people who participate in this event enjoy themselves and know they are contributing to a good cause.

“We hope they take in the facility and the atmosphere that we provide, giving them that good experience with our staff, smiling and making it a good time for them.” Barrett said. “And our staff enjoy and have fun with it too. It’s a great time to show the community and get them out and about and back into the store if they haven’t been around.”

For information on Phoenix Children’s, visit https://phoenixchildrens.org/specialties-conditions/phoenix-childrens-pediatrics.

For information on Dairy Queen and to find a location near you, visit https://www.dairyqueen.com/en-us/locations/az/.