It’s amazing what can happen when a community rallies around something that affects the lives of so many kids and families- pediatric healthcare. In central Georgia, Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital is the only dedicated pediatric facility that serves more than 44,000 children and families from central and south Georgia each year. We have one special community that goes above and beyond for our local Children’s Hospital, ensuring they make a special impact for the kids during Miracle Treat Day.   

Justin Kelly is the owner of Dairy Queen Grill & Chill in Gray, Ga., and his generosity is truly contagious. What started as a goal to raise $50,000 nearly six years ago has grown into a community wide effort that resulted in a fundraising total of $180,000 in single day last year. DQ’s Miracle Treat Day is a franchise-wide fundraiser for Children Miracle Network, during which most participating restaurants donate $1 for each frozen Blizzard treat sold that day. Justin, however, wanted to do more and pledged to donate every cent of sales for the entire day to the children.  

The 50+ DQ employees in Gray, Georgia got on board and decided to donate their salaries for the day, and even before Miracle Treat Day arrived, local business owners started opening their checkbooks. The result of the fundraiser is now history.  “DQ challenged the community, and the community stepped up,” Kelly said. “It started with a single act of kindness; generosity always creates a ripple effect.”  

When you say “thank you” to Justin for what he is doing, he is the first to tell you that he is not the one to thank. He is quick to respond that it is “Our Town” that made this possible. As fundraising professionals, we quickly learn that stewardship is not one size fits all approach. Our Foundation had to be creative in recognizing Justin in a meaningful way, but also wanted to honor the community that means so much to him.  

Two years ago, Justin reached his $500,000 milestone of fundraising in nearly four years of Miracle Treat Day efforts. Our Foundation recognized him and the entire Gray, Georgia Community by establishing an endowed scholarship fund as a way to give back to a community that has given so much for the kids. The Our Town Scholarship is available to Jones County (Gray, Ga.) High School Seniors who are graduating and pursuing a career in healthcare. Justin leads the Our Town Scholarship Committee and he presents checks to scholarship recipients every year at Senior Night at the local high school.   

This year, we are adding a component to go above and beyond for Justin’s entire DQ Team. He is a leader who values his team and volunteers, as they are the backbone to the success of Miracle Treat Day. Our Foundation is setting up employee/volunteer relief stations with tents, air conditioning, coolers, and goody bags full of all the things they may possibly need to survive the long day!  

We are excited to see what Justin and his community pull off again this year… whatever it is, we know it will be a great day! We are incredibly grateful for the passion and generosity that this town shows to the children in need served at our local Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital. This is a powerful example of communities rallying when philanthropy stays local. Afterall, it is “Their Town” too!  

Macey Terrell, MPA, CFRM 

President & CEO 

Navicent Health Foundation