Yesterday marked the start of the Tim Hortons Smile Cookie Campaign, with locations across the nation raising money for local organizations.
Winkler and Morden locations, owned by Jeff and Linda Doerksen, will be raising money to give to the Boundary Trails Health Centre Foundation, with a goal of $60,000 this time around.
Where the money goes
For BTHC Foundation Executive Director Shannon Samatte-Folkett, the fundraiser is important, but also a great time all around.
“It is fun to get outside of the awesome space for sure and see everybody in the community and, you know, thank them for being here, volunteering, and for purchasing cookies in support of the outdoor wellness space at the hospital.”
She added that the outdoor wellness space that the funds will go towards this time around is being designed as a “healing space” with a courtyard and shelter, along with places where patients, staff and visitors to the health centre can sit outside of the facilities.
‘A great start…’
Jeff shared that the choice to give to the BTHC Foundation again simply made sense.
“Everybody’s going to have to use that place at some point or another with family or friends. It was just an easy decision.”
As things took off Monday morning, and the Morden and Winkler locations opened their doors, their ovens were hot and ready to go.
During the conversation at the start of the day, Jeff shared that “100 dozen cookies have gone out of the stores this morning, between the two stores. It’s a great start.”
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Volunteering
Inside the Tim Hortons kitchen, volunteers spent the morning decorating cookies with the iconic blue eyes and pink smiles.
Deb Weir, retired nurse with BTHC, was one of them.
“I was with Boundary Trails from the very beginning, so I’ve seen how it has grown and flourished… all the pieces of equipment that have been provided to the facility to enhance the care that patients are receiving and just improving the quality of work life as well as improving the quality for the patients that are coming to us from all over the valley.”
And who better to ask if helping out the BTHC Foundation by eating a cookie for Smile Cookie Week is worth the impact on one’s health?
To that, Weir replied, “A cookie will not hurt you.”
And if a nurse says it, it has to be true.
Smile Cookie week will continue on until May 3rd with large orders able to me made via the foundation office, or their website.
