Tim Horton’s Smile Cookie Week was a sweet success for regional health care causes, bringing in just over $12,500 for patients receiving orthopedic care at the hospital in Trail and almost $6,500 for trauma room upgrades at the hospital in Grand Forks.
“This year’s Smile Cookie Week has been an extraordinary demonstration of community support and generosity,” says Lisa Pasin, executive director, Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH) Health Foundation.
“The KBRH Health Foundation is grateful for the overwhelming response from our community, which has enabled us to achieve record-breaking sales and participation,” Pasin adds.
“The success of this year’s campaign not only highlights the remarkable spirit of giving within our community but also the impact we can make when we come together for a good cause.”
Held April 29 to May 5, a feature of this year’s campaign was the introduction of the never before-released Confetti Smile Cookie and a 50 cent-per-cookie increased donation price of $2.
“This annual campaign saw unprecedented sales, participation and enthusiasm from our community, marking a milestone in our journey of giving back,” the KBRH Health Foundation says. “We extend our sincerest appreciation to our valued guests, dedicated team members and the entire community whose support made this success possible.
“A special acknowledgement goes out to the numerous volunteers whose efforts in cookie decoration and donation collection helped boost our sales. Thank you to each and every volunteer within our vibrant community, including dedicated businesses, supportive parents and our Tim Hortons team all of whom contributed to spreading joy during this campaign.”
Giving a nod to Tim Hortons employees who take such pride in raising money for community causes, is Nicole MacMillan (Stawarz) from Southern Interior Tim Hortons, mentioning some team members have been working with the family for 10, 15, even 25 years.
“We are honoured to have them with us,” said MacMillan.
“They are the driving force and you can see how excited they get when we give back to our community and back to them. It really makes for successful fundraising.”
About Tim Hortons
Paul and Beryl Stawarz came to Penticton in 1992 with a dream when they purchased their first two Tim Hortons. Today, with their daughters, the family now owns the Southern Interior Tim Hortons from Osoyoos to Summerland as well as the Kootenay region, including Trail and Grand Forks.
For the Stawarz family, operating Tim Hortons is about more than just serving Canada’s favourite coffee. The family have always been philanthropic and they are constantly wanting to give back to the community in which they live and work.
“It’s about being engaged and supporting these small communities wherever we can.”
The Stawarz family, through their Tim Hortons’ restaurants, supports numerous local organizations and charities such as TimBits sports, SOWINS, Junior Hockey and the SOS Medical Foundation, along with the $250,000 pledge to the OSNS Legacy Foundation.
About the KBRH Health Foundation
Since 1988, the KBRH Health Foundation has raised over $24.9 million to advance healthcare in the Kootenay Boundary.
KBRH responds to the healthcare needs of 88,000 residents and offers specialist services, core medical services and advanced diagnostic services to the residents of its 29,000 sq. km area of accountability.
KBRH Health Foundation’s newest initiative is a $750,000 Orthopedic Enhancement Project which will help provide better care, closer to home. This project will purchase state of the art medical equipment for the KBRH operating rooms, to be used by the orthopedic surgeons.
Find out more at: kbrhhealthfoundation.ca
Read more: Buy a cookie support neonatal care at KBRH (2023)
Read more: Tim Hortons Trail gives to hospital campaign(2022)
