Dairy Queens all over the nation raised funds Thursday for children's hospitals by donating a portion of Blizzard treat proceeds -- but the Fairfield DQ took it further.
"Corporate asks us to donate $1 of every Blizzard sale," owner Nick Frattaroli said. "But we donate every cent, including royalties. It all goes to the hospital."
Why?
"It's for the kids, Frattaroli said. "Kids in need, you know?"
The Fairfield Dairy Queen has been a member of the Children's Miracle Network for 29 years, donating the Blizzard proceeds annually on Miracle Treat Day. For the past nine years, the recipient of Fairfield's sales has been the Maria Fareri Children's Hospital at Westchester Medical Center, the primary medical facility for kids in Hudson and Fairfield counties.
Frattaroli's enthusiasm for Miracle Treat Day sets him apart from other Dairy Queens, hospital spokesperson Meredith Buono said.
His store raised nearly $4,000 last year and is always makes the highest donations in the area.
The money provides services for young patients and their families during their stays at the hospital.
From transplants to pediatric intensive care, the Maria Fareri Children's Hospital strives to provide the best care to children in the area.
Just ask 12-year-old Jack Arnold of Fairfield, who ended up in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit last May after a dirt bike accident that left him with serious internal injuries.
"They took very good care of me," Arnold said -- you wouldn't know now that he'd ever been in such a serious accident. "I kept calling it a hotel instead of a hospital."
Arnold has become a bit of a spokesperson for the Maria Fareri Children's Hospital since he recovered, brainstorming fundraiser at his school (St. Thomas Aquinas in Fairfield) and paying a visit each Miracle Treat Day.
"The doctors gear themselves to the children. The care you get from them -- you can't beat it," Arnold's mother, Anne, said. That's why she lets her son represent the hospital and coordinate fundraisers.
"It means a lot to me to give back to
them, for helping me get better,"
Jack Arnold said.
Arnold is pictured (far left, red stripes) after giving out plaques from the hospital to Frattaroli, firefighters, and First Selectman Michael Tetreau, longtime Miracle Treat Day supporters.
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