Dunkin’ has announced that $27,000 will be granted to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children through the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation. Thanks to the support of Dunkin’ guests and the generosity of franchisees throughout the Southeast Region, the Dunkin’ Shine Gold program collectively raised $320,000 to support children’s hospitals throughout the Southeast, including Florida.
Dunkin’ guests were invited to make a $2 donation to the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation from September 14-28 and receive a free Gold Joy Donut as a thank you.
On Thursday, December 22, Dunkin’ of Greater Orlando and the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation celebrated its local grant of $27,000 to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer. With this grant, the hospital will bring joy to its patients through the Haley Center for Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer. The outpatient and inpatient units at the Haley Center provide high-quality care for children with various forms of cancer and blood disorders. Units are designed with the comfort of patients and their families in mind and provide children with multidisciplinary care such as social work, a pharmacy, nutritional services, physical and occupational therapies, child life services, as well as other vital clinical services.
“Children battling cancer and blood disorders need special care and attention around the clock. With distinct units for pediatric inpatient and outpatient care, Orlando Health Arnold Palmer is capable of accommodating various patient and family needs. We are grateful for Dunkin’s partnership through the Gold Joy Donut Campaign and dedication to supporting our community’s needs in this way,” said Zach Kallenbach, Orlando Health Foundation Vice President.
Grant funding will also help enhance child life programming spanning from art, music and integrated therapy programs to electronic gaming equipment and specialized camps that provide joyful experiences and environments for patients and their families. Since the program’s inception in 2021, Dunkin’ and the Dunkin Joy in Childhood Foundation granted over $560,000 to local children’s hospitals through the Shine Gold program to bring joy to kids battling cancer and other illnesses.
“We all have been touched by cancer and it is something no child or parent should have to endure,” said Katie Gaston, Dunkin’ Field Marketing Director. “It was incredible to see so much support from our guests and we couldn’t be happier to support the amazing work our friends at Orlando Health do to bring joy to their patients.”
According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 11,000 children in the United States under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer in 2022. Since its inception in 2006, the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation has granted more than $40 million to national and local nonprofits. In 2022 alone, the Foundation has awarded 115 grants to hospitals totaling more than $2.3 million to help bring joy to kids battling illness.
