Posted by PR Wonk under Uncategorized on May 17th, 2012
Each year, on the first Saturday in May, tens of thousands of shareholders descend on Omaha, Neb., to attend the Berkshire Hathaway shareholder’s meeting and hear pearls of investing wisdom from Warren Buffett, (a.k.a. the “Oracle of Omaha”) and his partner Charlie Munger. As part of the meeting, Berkshire companies host exhibit booths where shareholders can purchase such items as T-shirts and undergarments from Fruit of the Loom; get insurance quotes from GEICO; buy sets of GINZU knives or purchase kitchen utensils from Papered Chef.
Throughout the day at the Dairy Queen® booth, shareholders come to us to purchase Dilly® Bars, DQ® Fudge Bars and DQ Vanilla Orange Bars for $1 with proceeds from the sale going to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Our team of more than 40 employees, including our executive officers, provides hungry, but smiling customers with satisfying and delicious DQ treats. Typically we sell more than 16,000 individual treats in a little more than nine hours and this year was no exception. We often hear, “I can’t leave the meeting without getting my Dilly Bar” which always puts a smile on our faces.
The day is long, but we couldn’t have a better time greeting and interacting with the shareholders. And oh yeah, Warren stops by the booth before the meeting begins to purchase his favorite DQ Vanilla Orange Bar, which we have ready and waiting for him. At DQ, our investment philosophy is, “Always make sure the boss is happy.” And when you’re Warren Buffett and own the entire Dairy Queen system, how could you not be?
Thanks to all of our loyal DQ® customers who went out and bought Blizzard® Treats on Miracle Treat Day on August 11!
DQ has been raising funds for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals for 27 years now, and we’ve raised almost $90 million during this time. Miracle Treat Day is our signature fundraising event, and we appreciate all of you treating yourselves AND helping kids in need! Donations for Miracle Treat Day are still coming in, but we’re expecting to have a donation of over $4 million for CMN Hospitals from just this one day!
Want to hear another really cool thing that happened this year? Franchisee Delon Mork challenged his town of 6,000 people to purchase 25,000 Blizzard treats on Miracle Treat Day. If they met the goal – he said he’d jump out of a plane! The town of Madison, SD, rose to the challenge… check out the link to Delon’s jump below!
Earlier this summer I learned that a friend of mine has been going through a very difficult time. Her three-year-old daughter, Rachel, had been hospitalized with a serious illness. Rachel’s kidneys had partially failed, allowing toxins to travel to both sides of her brain. Although dialysis eventually restored her kidney function, Rachel has a long road of rehabilitation ahead as she works to recover from the resulting brain injury.
Rachel is now being treated at Gillette Children’s Hospital, which is the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital for the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Thanks to my friend’s frequent Facebook updates, I’ve followed Rachel’s progress as she undergoes daily physical and occupational therapy sessions, has re-learned to smile and laugh, and as she fights to regain her ability to speak. One after another, the tiny miracles are adding up.
Every year on Miracle Treat Day, I visit a participating DQ® location to buy a Blizzard® Treat for myself during my lunch break. In the evening I return to buy another for myself and more for my family members. I’ve always been proud to support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and happy to have a reason to double-dip on treats once a year. But this year it has taken on an extra special meaning, since I know those treats I’ll be buying will directly support the hospital that is helping my friend and her daughter.
Today is Miracle Treat Day. Stop at a participating DQ location (find the one nearest you at http://miracletreatday.com), pick up a Blizzard Treat for yourself, and maybe one for a friend as well. Because you never know who might be needing help from your local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. As for me, I’m going for Rachel.
What has red spoon windshield wipers, red lips on the front grill, upside-down Blizzard® cups for rear-view mirrors and the ability to create a snowstorm wherever it goes?
Here’s a hint:
It’s the DQ®Blizzard®mobile! Our fully-functional brand mobile is currently touring the United States and Canada, visiting 25 cities from April to August, with approximately three stops per city.
All stops include handing out FREE world-famous Blizzard Treats in the brand-new Mini size (the Mini Blizzard Treat will be available in DQ locations this summer), as well as music and emcee interaction. Some events will also include the Blizzard Blaster–a giant, upside-down inflatable Blizzard cup with coupons swirling around inside. A person can go inside the blaster to try to grab coupons. And the forecast calls for snow flurries–the Blizzardmobile comes equipped with its own snow-making machine!
There is even a fundraising component during the Blizzardmobile tour for Children’s Miracle Network (CMN). CMN canisters will travel with the vehicle to collect donations throughout the tour, and the last two stops–on Aug. 5 in Minneapolis and Aug. 12 in Calgary, Alberta–will take place on Miracle Treat Day (MTD) in each country. On MTD, participating DQ operators donate $1 or more to their local CMN Hospital for every Blizzard Treat they sell in their stores.
For anyone not able to witness the Blizzardmobile in person, check out the DQ Facebook page. It will include photos, tour stop information, videos, commercials, webisodes and much more. Other elements on the DQ Facebook fan page include a “Capture the Cup” photo challenge, a Facebook “Photo Grid” where you can to tag your friends as the Blizzard Treat that best represents them, and the “Pick Five,” in which you choose your top five Blizzard flavors. Go to http://www.facebook.com/dairyqueen now to get all the details!
Posted by Carolyn K under In the Community on February 12th, 2010
Like so many people in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, we here at IDQ were looking for ways to make a difference and to help. On Thursday, Feb. 4, and Friday, Feb. 5, 45 corporate employees of International Dairy Queen, Inc. (IDQ) volunteered at the Feed My Starving Children site in Chanhassen, Minn.. We packed a total of 78,336 meals during those two days!
In addition to the meals that we packed, IDQ made a donation to Feed My Starving Children to help defray the cost of ingredients and packaging of the food. It was a great experience and so rewarding to know what a difference a few hours of our time can mean to children and families in Haiti and other countries!
If you are interested in learning more about Feed My Starving Children, visit their website at http://www.fmsc.org or check out their Facebook page.
We have a strong Community Service Team here at the Dairy Queen corporate headquarter in Minneapolis, and in addition to the year-round work IDQ does on behalf of Children’s Miracle Network, we are always looking for new opportunities to serve in our community. In fact, “Service” and “Supporting our Community” are two values the entire IDQ team holds dear.
What are you and your families, or the companies you work for, doing to make a difference? I know that there are more good deeds happening than are ever noted in the media!
Posted by Michael Keller under CBO Corner on August 20th, 2009
Michael Keller, Chief Brand Officer, shares his thoughts and unique insight regarding his trip to Madison, South Dakota, for Miracle Treat Day on Aug. 13.
