DQ® Blizzard® treat sales help Niswonger Children’s Hospital

The calendar might say October, but there’s a Blizzard in the forecast.

On Thursday, Oct. 28, several Dairy Queen® restaurants in the Appalachian Highlands will come together for Miracle Treat Day, benefitting Niswonger Children’s Hospital.

During Miracle Treat Day, $1 or more from every Blizzard treat sold at participating locations will be donated to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, which raises funds and awareness for 170 children’s hospitals across the United States and Canada. As the regional affiliate of Children’s Miracle Network, Niswonger Children’s Hospital is the recipient of all local fundraising, retail partnerships and sponsorship support – which means all money raised at regional Dairy Queen stores on Miracle Treat Day will benefit children in this area.

“We’re so grateful for the support we receive from members of our community and Children’s Miracle Network corporate sponsors, such as Dairy Queen,” said Jack Simpson, president of Ballad Health Foundation. “As the region’s only children’s hospital, Niswonger Children’s Hospital serves babies, children and their families from not just Ballad Health’s immediate service area of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, but also Southeastern Kentucky and Western North Carolina.

“The support we receive makes it possible for us to reach throughout these communities, providing the care babies, children and their families need and deserve – without needing to travel long distances.”

Ballad Health has committed to bolstering the infant and children’s services available in this region, most recently announcing the Ballad Health Niswonger Children’s Network, a region-wide system of healthcare and community services that raise the bar for quality healthcare for the children of the Appalachian Highlands. Announced in early March, the Niswonger Children’s Network is a $60 million investment in local children’s care.

Among those investments includes the creation of a new pediatric emergency room in Kingsport, an expanded neonatal intensive care unit and perinatal care program in Johnson City, new locations for clinics and telemedicine hubs and more specialized pediatric experts located throughout the Appalachian Highlands, as well as community-oriented services, projects and initiatives that improve children’s health – all of which are enhanced by the Children’s Miracle Network partnership and events such as Miracle Treat Day.

“Events like these make it possible for us to continue to elevate the level of care we bring to so many children in the Appalachian Highlands,” said Lisa Carter, chief executive officer of Niswonger Children’s Hospital and chief executive officer of the Ballad Health Niswonger Children’s Network. “This is a way anyone can contribute to the future of local children’s care, and we are thankful to work with Dairy Queen to make it easy for our community members to invest in the next generation’s health and well-being.”

Since 1984, Dairy Queen has raised more than $130 million nationwide for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals through fundraising efforts including Miracle Treat Day, the Miracle Balloon campaign and other local initiatives.

Learn more about Miracle Treat Day.

Support the Ballad Health Niswonger Children’s Network.

Learn more about about the children’s network and Niswonger Children’s Hospital.