After just a couple of weeks in business Penticton鈥檚 newly-opened Papa John鈥檚 Pizza is already giving back in a big way on Wednesday (April 26).
Starting at 11 a.m. with some help from members of the Orange County Ca. Sheriff鈥檚 Department, the Main Street pizzeria is joining five other Interior locations in the Papa John鈥檚 Dreams for Kids Day in support of
鈥淚鈥檝e never actually gone on the flight (to Disneyland), but I鈥檝e been at the airport putting the little fellers on the plane and when you see the families, it鈥檚 a once-in-lifetime thing,鈥� said Geoff Linquist, Papa John鈥檚 B.C. president and longtime Sunshine champion this week. 鈥淚 see the before and after and I think if I take one thing away from it, the thing that really came to my attention was how important it is, not just the kids, but the parents too.鈥�
One hundred per cent of the sales from the day along with the wages for most of the staff will be going to help the Sunshine Foundation鈥檚 ongoing efforts to make dreams come true for kids with severe physical disabilities or life-threatening illnesses.
Unlike the past when Wendy鈥檚 Restaurants in the Interior held a similar fundraiser for the foundation, this time the money raised goes towards all Sunshine programs including the group trips and the individual dream program.
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Linquist saw first hand the impact on parents of the children one-day at the 琉璃神社 International Airport just before the flight boarded.
鈥淭here was this mom, it was hard on her, she鈥檚 smiling and crying at the same time,鈥� he recalled. 鈥淏ut it really stuck with me, that sometimes this is the first time the parent has been separated from their child.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 one unique thing I took away from that is not just what it does for the kids, putting the smiles on their faces of course but it鈥檚 the whole family.鈥�
Linquist previously worked with Wendy鈥檚 before joining Papa John鈥檚 so he was well aware of the program鈥檚 merits.
鈥淲hen we saw Wendy鈥檚 decided to no longer participate we couldn鈥檛 let this program go, so we stepped up and got involved and this is our third year,鈥� he said.
Nancy Sutherland is the Sunshine Foundation鈥檚 CEO and couldn鈥檛 be happier the fundraiser is returning to Penticton.
鈥淟iterally every dollar helps and I know that you hear that a lot but raising these dollars for kids in their communities and nearby communities is going to make their dreams come true,鈥� said Sutherland. 鈥淭his is really about the kids who don鈥檛 always see possibilities, so being a part of Sunshine Dream program allows them to see that they can believe in their dreams and that things can happen for them that are positive.
鈥淪o if people are buying a $20 pizza or one of the dream cookies, every bit impacts children and how they see themselves in this world which is critically important for their confidence and self-esteem.鈥�
She also had nothing but praise for Papa John鈥檚, stepping up to the plate at a difficult time.
鈥淚t was critically important because it allowed us to complete one program and have a community presence,鈥� said Sutherland. 鈥淭his also drives a lot of awareness for Sunshine as a self-fund charity and these community initiatives and the funds raised are absolutely essential.
鈥淪o for the Papa John鈥檚 group and Geoff Lindquist to come forward and say 鈥榳e want to do something鈥� and 鈥榳hat can we do to help?鈥� was a true gift, it really was.鈥�
She agreed with Linquist鈥檚 estimation of how the DreamLift program to Disneyland and Disneyworld positively impacts the entire family.
鈥淭he kids have to be brave and trusting of people to look after them and so do their parents because it鈥檚 hard to let a very vulnerable child with a lot of complex medical needs out of your sight,鈥� said Sutherland. 鈥淏ut because we have incredible partnerships with physicians and specialists who come on the plane, parents do give us their confidence and trust. Children see that鈥檚 something that is possible, that can be a part of their life, and not just be okay, but be fantastic.鈥�
Papa John鈥檚 in Penticton is located at Ste. 102, 1770 Main St., 778-531-7272.
