Peter White, left, Mike House, Scott Fylyshtan, Marc Cardinal, Michelle Cardinal, Cassie Fylyshtan and Angela Bennet.Supplied
The organizers: Marc Cardinal and Scott Fylyshtan
The pitch: Raising $1-million
The cause: Edmonton’s Stollery Children’s Hospital
Marc Cardinal’s family has been involved in the food-service business for a generation and he runs four Dairy Queen outlets in Edmonton with his cousin.
“I was 3 when my dad bought his first Dairy Queen store,” Mr. Cardinal recalled from his home in Edmonton. “So I could barely see over the front counter.”
Over the years, Mr. Cardinal and his cousin, Scott Fylyshtan, have participated in various fundraising events to support Edmonton’s Stollery Children’s Hospital, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that Mr. Cardinal became passionate about the hospital.
“What really triggered us wanting to get involved more and more was when I became a parent myself,” said Mr. Cardinal, who has three children between the ages of 6 and 10. “As a parent you say, ‘I’m glad I haven’t had to use the hospital, but if I ever need it, I want to make sure it’s the best and it’s in my backyard,’” he added.
Founded in 2001, the Stollery is the only specialized health care facility for children in northern Alberta and it’s a leading centre for cardiac surgery and organ transplants.
In the past eight years, Mr. Cardinal, 45, and Mr. Fylyshtan, 35, have raised just over $1-million for the hospital through various Dairy Queen initiatives, such as selling gift certificates and drinks, and donating the proceeds. They’ve also held local raffles and solicited donations. “We’re just fortunate enough that our fans and our customers really supported every initiative we did,” Mr. Cardinal said.
Like most businesses, the pandemic has affected the cousins’ operations and slowed their fundraising activity. “We didn’t hit our goals last year, but we feel like we’re coming out of it and we’re ready to have another big year,” Mr. Cardinal said. “And within the next five years we want to be getting close to our second million.”
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