The store donated all proceeds from Thursday to the Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital in Macon as part of the national fundraising campaign.
GRAY, Georgia — Gray’s Dairy Queen took part in another sweet and successful Miracle Treat Day on Thursday.
The busiest Dairy Queen in the world raised a record-breaking $250,000 for the Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital in Macon.
The store took part in the national fundraising campaign for their sixth year Thursday, and donated every dollar made to the children’s hospital.
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Store owner Justin Kelly announced the record-breaking campaign on social media. 13WMAZ originally reported the total as $245,000. However, Kelly confirmed another donor came forward after he announced the total.
“The town is really bought in on this, and I believe this is gonna be the best year yet,” Kelly said.
Central Georgians hit the road by the hundreds to take part in the tradition, and drive-thru traffic often spilled onto West Clinton Street. Sharonda Williams says she had to come back when the crowds quieted down after she was met with heavy traffic Thursday morning.
“Dairy Queen is awesome for everything that they do, but especially for this day. It just makes you feel good,” Williams said.
The campaign also drew over 100 volunteers from door greeters to Blizzard blenders, including Brinkley Stone from Macon who was volunteering for her third year.
“You can really see that throughout all the people that show up and help, and it just warms my heart every year that I do it. It makes me so happy,” Stone said.
Volunteers also brought Blizzards beyond the store. Crews loaded up 5,000 Blizzards Thursday morning and shipped them across Central Georgia, which Kelly says brought in $20,000 alone.
“From Fort Valley all the way to Lake Sinclair, that’s big, that’s crucial,” Kelly said.
Kelly says the support every year is overwhelming, and he’s proud to see the tradition grow every year for a sweet cause.
“It’s grown to just substantial things that we’re doing now. It’s amazing what’s happening,” Kelly said.
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