A Message of Gratitude from Mark
Remarkably, 2020 ushered in even more upheaval. Immediately, we knew that the COVID-19 pandemic would create an even greater need for support at Canada’s children’s hospitals. But as uncertainty spread across society and the economy, there was a period when we didn’t know whether our partners, dedicated as they are, would be in a position to help.
Dairy Queen Canada’s response was astonishing. Amid the exceptional demands of a global pandemic, you not only remained committed but actually raised the scale of your ambitions, finding new ways to come through for sick and injured children. Canada’s children’s hospital foundations could not be more grateful for your steadfast partnership.
With your support children’s hospitals were able to adapt and innovate in 2020, responding to the year’s unique demands and laying even stronger foundations for the future. Many rapidly adopted virtual platforms to ensure that young patients would have access to the care they needed, including emergency assessments and mental health supports. Pediatric teams navigated operational complexities to keep critical care, cancer treatment, and other clinical activity moving forward. Hospital leaders collaborated energetically, reaching beyond the walls of their institutions to help protect the health of their communities and of all Canadians.
As hospitals made these extraordinary efforts, Dairy Queen Canada was by their side. While some popular fundraising activities became impossible, you sought new ways to support children’s hospital foundations in your communities – engaging your owners, employees, and fans, and using fresh approaches to get others involved.
Just as you have stood with Canada’s Children’s Hospital Foundations (CCHF) through the Children’s Miracle Network program in this demanding year, we are committed to working closely with you to continue evolving our partnership. We are ready to help engage your teams in meaningful ways and keep pace with your customers’ changing habits and expectations, including a growing shift to online retail.
We’re also developing new tools to help you capture and communicate your impact on the health of children. Our team is creating a new measurement and reporting framework that will help you monitor and share the contributions you make to children’s health in communities across the country. We look forward to sharing the results of these efforts with you.
Even as we lay the foundations for future impact, however, I hope you and your teams will take some time with this report to look back on 2020 with pride. Although it has been a year of enormous change – and Dairy Queen Canada rose to many new challenges with amazing success – in some sense you did what you’ve always done: you came through for kids when they needed you. Canada’s 12 children’s hospital foundations join me in thanking you for every part of your work with us this year. We have always been grateful for your support; this year, it meant more than ever.
In gratitude,
Mark Hierlihy, President & CEO, Canada’s Children’s Hospital Foundations