Wendy’s Dreamlift Day is no more
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Wendy’s Dreamlift Day is no more.
The charity behind the annual event has confirmed what Infonews.ca reported Friday, that the new owner of the Wendy’s restaurants which took part, are "shifting the focus of their fundraising efforts to benefit other charities.”
For the last 20 years, Wendy’s restaurants in the area donated all funds raised from one day of sales to send children with severe physical disablities or life-threatening illnesses to Disneyland.
Over $1.4-million dollars has been raised since 1994.
Tristan Michelle Joseph with the Sunshine Foundation of Canada goes on to say in an email to Info News, “Sunshine will continue to fulfill dreams for kids in the region and wishes Park Inland Restaurants’ Wendy’s success as they provide support for other deserving charities.”
Wendy’s Dreamlift Day was created and fostered by Inland Restaurants' majority owner John Tietzen who, until 2012, owned several Wendy’s franchises in the Penticton, Vernon, Kelowna, West Kelowna and Kamloops.
Marilyn MacDougall of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department told Info News on Friday they had been told the Dreamlift won’t happen in January 2015.
“We won’t be coming up this year,” she said. “They are not planning on doing a Dreamlift per se. They will be doing something but probably for another charity. We are disappointed because we felt it was a really good partnership but we understand.”
Calls to the new owner Ken Park with Park Inland Restaurants’ Wendy’s have gone unreturned.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Howard Alexander at halexander@infonews.ca or call 250-491-0331. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
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7 responses
Scrooge
Greed, New owner is a dirt bag. too bad boycott don’t work. because the valley could drive this new owner out of business (as he should). The old owner should have made dream lift day mandatory as part of the deal..
Since the change in ownership the restaurant has deteriorated. Slow service, mistakes in orders, no friendly senior cleaning tables. This next step is just horrendous. Wendys was known for supporting charities, founder Dave was committed to the causes. A sad day for the disadvantaged children of the Okanagan. Many customers will be lost. Myself included.
Yeah, not too happy about that.I tried to support it every year and I can only imagine the disappoinment of those kids that were looking forward to going next year.
That is so sad……Something we have become known all over for ending.Now I really don’t have to eat at Wendy’s.
I’m not heartless or anything but I think that, that money could be better spent on Food Banks and Homeless Shelters. Disneyland isn’t a necessity.
everyone should bombard him with phone calls, shame on him, those kids were probably really looking forward to going to Disneyland!