Pizza Pizza’s Slices for Smiles program surpasses million-dollar milestone
This past year, Pizza Pizza has been able to raise more than $1 million in charity funds for the Children’s Miracle Network through its Slices for Smiles campaign.
The Canadian charitable program Slices for Smiles raised over $275,000 in 2012, reaching a new milestone in their fundraising efforts.
Pizza Pizza announced during a special event at the Hospital for Sick Children that its Canadian charitable program, Slices for Smiles, has raised more than $1 million overall. The funds have gone to the Children’s Miracle Network and its 14 affiliated hospitals.
The program was established in the fall of 2007 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the pizza chain.
“Children mean the world to us,” says Pizza Pizza Chief Marketing Officer Pat Finelli. “They are our future and ‘giving back’ is really about paying it forward to the communities across Canada we are a part of.”
“Helping to provide life-saving care for kids, through the Slices for Smiles Foundation, is what makes all of us at Pizza Pizza feel good and we are honoured to help,” shares Finelli.
Funds raised through Slices for Smiles, $275,000 in 2012 alone, remain within the communities they were raised, supporting the local Children’s Miracle Network member hospital in that area.
The 2012 donation will help fund critical services, leading-edge research and excellence in care for millions of children in Canada.
“We are thrilled to celebrate Pizza Pizza’s incredible accomplishment and milestone,” says Children’s Miracle Network Canada Chief Operating Officer John Hartman. “Partners like Pizza Pizza are in part responsible for the outstanding performance of our pediatric health care programs and personnel in Canada.”
“Their contributions play a direct role in helping to save and improve the lives of our children,” explains Hartman. “We look forward to nurturing this amazing partnership with Pizza Pizza and its sister brand Pizza 73.”
More than 390 Pizza Pizza restaurant locations across Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia participated in the Slices for Smiles fundraiser, which took place in April and October.
Special events with local Children’s Miracle Network member hospitals were held with patient ambassadors and Pizza Pizza-sponsored athletes to raise awareness and stimulate donations for the cause.
Donations were also collected online, by phone and through the company’s iPhone app.