Miracle Treat Day this Thursday
All proceeds go toward the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon
August 11, 2025, 10:04 am
Ashley Bochek
Moosomin Dairy Queen is hosting Miracle Treat Day this Thursday, August 14 and is hoping to sell 6,000 Blizzards— more than ever.
The proceeds from purchasing a Blizzard on Miracle Treat Day will go toward the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon to help provide lifesaving treatments for kids.
Morgan Kerr of Moosomin Dairy Queen is excited this year to fundraise for the children’s hospital.
“Miracle Treat Day is all about giving back. One hundred per cent of net proceeds go to the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon. Miracle Treat Day is a huge supporter and fundraiser for them. I don’t think you have to look very far to know somebody that has used the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital and who knows if one day we might need it—somebody will always need it—and now with the Air Ambulance here, I think it is an even better fundraiser. People have quicker access to it now.”
Regional fundraiser
Moosomin Dairy Queen delivers Blizzards all over the region on Miracle Treat Day to help fundraise and support the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital.
“I think Miracle Treat Day is different for us in Moosomin than it is in Regina and Saskatoon,” said Kerr. “I think for us, it is a community project. It involves our surrounding communities, the communities in Moosomin, individuals—everybody comes together to have this donation to the Jim Pattison. It is not just us, but our whole town and surrounding communities.
“We are delivering to Redvers, Langenburg, Esterhazy, Maryfield, Wawota, Rocanville, Virden, we do both the mines. The mines are definitely a major player. Nutrien, their individual workers buy treats for their staff so we usually sell 700 Blizzards there, and then Nutrien matches our sales to $5,000. Also, Mosaic orders Blizzards and it is usually close to $5,000 as well in Blizzards. They buy for all of their staff. So there are lots of communities involved in this giant donation.”
Support from volunteers
Kerr says many volunteers from the community are always willing to help on Miracle Treat Day.
“We couldn’t do it without the volunteers. All of those locations—I stay in Moosomin on the 14th—so we have at least 10 or more volunteers driving. We have drivers go to Mosaic. I’ll have to send two drivers to Esterhazy this year—we won’t fit all of the Blizzards in one car for Esterhazy.
“I’ve got a lady going to Langenburg, I have one going to Redvers, Rocanville, Virden, Maryfield—they are selling Blizzards in Maryfield for us. In Esterhazy, there is an RCMP officer there and she is actually selling Blizzards too on Miracle Treat Day so we will send her about 300 Blizzards to sell in Esterhazy. She will advertise it. This year we went to Esterhazy and talked to people about Miracle Treat Day, what it was, and we’ve had a huge turnout come back from that. It has been very successful. We went to Langenburg too and talked to the businesses and people there because without a Dairy Queen some people don’t know what Miracle Treat Day is. We went to Redvers this year and talked to them as well, and the same for Virden.”
Special guests at Dairy Queen
Kerr says there will be some special guests helping volunteer at Dairy Queen this Miracle Treat Day. “Blaze Dunn is coming again from Carlyle as our Child Ambassador. I think there is going to be a representative from the Jim Pattison. Summer Heide— kids who have used the hospital—is coming to help. We are hoping to get a few other people involved. I want to talk to Mayor Murray Gray to see if he will come down and it would be nice to get an RCMP officer there.
“We have a lot of people who have volunteered to help make Blizzards which is awesome, so many volunteers actually that we are going to have a schedule. The Witch’s Brew, Sandra, comes down and helps me write on lids for Blizzards. It is amazing the community involvement.”
Kerr explains the services each Miracle Treat Day donation helps support at the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital. “It provides lifesaving equipment and programs at the Jim Pattison that maybe otherwise they wouldn’t be able to have or afford, so without that fundraising the hospital wouldn’t have those funds, and Miracle Treat Day is all across Canada to help fund all of the different children’s hospitals.”
2024 Step Up for Kids Award
Moosomin Dairy Queen was awarded the 2024 Step Up for Kids Miracle Treat Day Award for its continuous increase in yearly sales on Miracle Treat Day.
“I like a challenge and for me it is challenging,” Kerr said. “Last year we were honoured to be the 2024 Step Up for Kids Miracle Treat Day Award Winner from the Jim Pattison. That is awarded to the Dairy Queen with year-over-year sales increase on Miracle Treat Day. The Jim Pattison— I think this was the first year they got to choose the winner and so they chose us. That is exciting for us. It is crazy, we are a small town, and we have sold more Blizzards than people that live here. Last year we sold 5,100 Blizzards which is crazy. Some of the major centres don’t sell that, but they all keep asking us ‘How?’ And I say, ‘You have to live in Moosomin, that is how.’ I think we have a special town, a special community, it is very different, everybody gets behind something like this because your neighbour may use the Jim Pattison—our neighbour used the Jim Pattison. It is not hard to find somebody who has, and we are so lucky to have it in our province and so close. We don’t have to go to Toronto or go far to get treatment. Dairy Queen is a kids business and what better to support than a charity for kids, a hospital for children.”
Fundraising goal
Kerr says Moosomin Dairy Queen wants to set a record with their fundraising goal this year.
“I am hoping to sell 6,000 Blizzards. I am hoping we break that $30,000 threshold.
“Year after year, sales increase, I think we went from $5,000 to $11,000 to $23,000 to $27,000 over the last few years. I think just asking people helps us fundraise more. You just have to find people and ask them.”
“In Redvers, I put it on their community page and the lady who runs the library called me saying, ‘There are people who want Blizzards here, but they are not a business. We will be a pick-up point, can we make that work?’ And I was like ‘Yes! Absolutely!’ So she is selling Blizzards out of the library in Redvers,” said Kerr. “So whatever she sends me we will fulfill with Blizzards. We don’t say no to a Blizzard wherever. I think you just have to ask.”
Moosomin Dairy Queen has raised about $70,000 for the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital over the last couple of years. “It has been 30 years or so,” explained Kerr. “It has been a long time. I don’t know how long Miracle Treat Day has been happening. Just over those couple of years like the last four or so that is about $70,000 and that is a lot of money to raise, but I think it is important.”
She adds, “It is a good day. It is easy to sell a Blizzard for a good cause. It is ice cream! Who doesn’t want ice cream? I always tell people they are calorie free that day—they are for the kids, so it’s calorie free!”
All proceeds go to Children’s Hospital in Saskatchewan
Kerr explains each Blizzard sold in Saskatchewan helps fundraise for the Children’s Hospital in Saskatchewan.
“However many Blizzards we sell out of our store goes to the Jim Pattison and we are very transparent in that. If you were to buy a Blizzard in Brandon it would go to the children’s hospital in Winnipeg. Each province has their own children’s hospital. Years ago, it used to just go to Children’s Miracle Network and get lumped together and I think when it changed is when our vision and mindset changed. For me, it was hard to sell a Blizzard for a hospital in Toronto, but the Jim Pattison in Saskatoon that is easy to sell and it is easy to get behind because it is our local children’s hospital. We do sell Blizzards to Virden and I am transparent that the money goes to the Jim Pattison in Saskatoon. Nobody seems to care, they’re excited to get the Blizzards, and I am sure there are people in Manitoba that have used Saskatchewan and vice versa.”
Pre-orders wanted
Kerr says they are asking communities to submit their pre-orders as soon as possible.
“We are looking for businesses to get in pre-orders—as many Blizzards as we can sell. Volunteers are easy—people want to come and make Blizzards which is awesome. Lots of businesses get involved for instance, Sharpe’s, they have always been a huge help to us. They drive our Blizzards to the mines so Mosaic and Rocanville’s Scissors Creek. They often send staff to help make Blizzards, the school teachers— I’ve got six school teachers this year that are coming to help, their kids are coming. We just need businesses and people to buy the Blizzards we make.”
Moosomin Dairy Queen allows businesses to sponsor school classrooms for Miracle Treat Day as well.
“We ask for sponsors for the schools,” Kerr explained. “In the fall, I then contact the schools and they pick a day to have Blizzards delivered. Last year, we had Moosomin, Wapella, Maryfield, Wawota, Kennedy, Rocanville, and the Elementary School in Esterhazy all sponsored. The day care in Rocanville, the day care in Moosomin, the Bryant House, the KinAbility Centre, it is amazing the amount of Blizzards people buy for someone else and that is also what we tell people—if you don’t want the extra calories here is another option and a lot of people we talk to are interested in sponsoring a classroom. It is an easy way to raise the funds and we ring them all through on Miracle Treat Day so the proceeds go to the Jim Pattison and then throughout the school year, they pick whenever they want the Blizzards. Esterhazy didn’t get theirs delivered until May of this year because they wanted it for a track and field day. So it is a creative way to sell Blizzards to businesses that have a smaller staff or for instance, Celebration Ford sponsored four classrooms last year, that is an incredible donation.”
Kerr adds that Miracle Treat Day is all about the kids. “It is in support of kids. All proceeds go to the children’s hospital. It helps us reach our goal and I think it helps get people excited when they see those numbers—we had one guy at Redvers or Langenburg that said, ‘Yea, yea I’ll look at this,’ as he is walking up the stairs reading he says, ‘Wait, you sold 5,000 Blizzards last year?’ And I said, ‘Yes!’ And he replied, ‘Oh, we are getting in on this!’ People get excited about that kind of stuff. The effort is definitely worth it.”
Kerr explains the different awards Dairy Queens across the country can receive for fundraising over the years. “I do know the Step Up for Kids Award that the Jim Pattison awarded us is year-over-year sales increase on Miracle Treat Day so it isn’t necessarily the top selling Dairy Queen, but year-over-year increase. To be honest a lot of the time it goes to a brand new store because the year before they sold zero and then sell $3,000 so that is an increase, but the Jim Pattison got to choose their own last year so they were very excited to award it to us.
“There is an award called the Miracle Maker Award, which I have been after for years. It is a Canada-wide award. I don’t think anybody in Saskatchewan or Manitoba has ever won it. I think it is always Ontario, BC, Edmonton quite often because the Stollery Kids is a huge hospital there and there is a huge amount of money there, but last year it came down to two Dairy Queens one in Ontario and one in Moosomin, Saskatchewan. So pretty exciting. The Jim Pattison is gunning for us to win this award and we are hoping. They wanted us to send an email of a list of things we do in the community from January to December and the list went on and on, which is great, and we love that, so that will hopefully boost our application because it is not just about this sale and the Dairy Queen that sells the most Blizzards, so we will see. I couldn’t believe we were even considered because usually it is these huge centres that are noticed.
“It is nice to get awards, but really I just want to sell Blizzards and make the donation.”
sm.jpg)
