Stayner resident Raymond Hardisty has worked hard over the past 12 years to raise funds for SickKids Hospital and the Children’s Miracle Network through his job at Dairy Queen in Stayner.
But this year, the world threw him a curve ball.
Hardisty has just wrapped up his annual fundraiser, which evolved this year into a bottle drive. The drive managed to bring in $14,500 for the cause.
“My usual campaigning got postponed because of the pandemic. Because of my immune system, I’m on a leave of absence. If I catch this virus, things won’t be too good for me,” he said. “So these nice gentlemen who helped me put on a fundraising concert last year at the... Legion... they came up with the idea to do a bottle drive as a substitute.”
Rob McPherson, Jeff Malloy and John Malloy have worked throughout the summer with Hardisty collecting bottles for the drive and transporting them to be exchanged for the deposits. The Stayner Lion’s Club chipped in by offering storage space for the empties.
Every year, Hardisty sets a specific fundraising goal. Over the past 12 years, he estimates he’s raised about $76,000.
Dairy Queen runs the Miracle Balloon fundraiser annually, where customers can purchase a paper balloon for $2 and the money raised goes to support Children’s Miracle Network hospitals. However, when Hardisty learned about the fundraiser after starting his job back in 2008, he wanted to take it further.
“My boss let me take some of the balloons home so I could go door to door and social functions and ask people to donate,” he said.
The cause was near and dear to Hardisty’s heart, as he spent time as a child at SickKids.
“When I was a baby, I was born with a very rare blood disorder. My parents were told I wouldn’t live to see the age of two,” said Hardisty. “My mom found a new universal drug and brought it to my doctor’s attention. They gave it a try and it worked. However, a year later, the blood disorder evolved into leukemia.”
Hardisty needed a bone marrow transplant. He received the transplant from a woman in New Brunswick who was a match, but was unrelated to Hardisty. As a result, he developed physical challenges related to Graft Versus Host Disease.
This also means Hardisty lives with little to no immune system.
“I know what it’s like to be at SickKids. They really did a lot for me and my family by fighting for me and saving my life,” said Hardisty. “No child deserves to be born sick and have to spend the first years of their life in a hospital.”
Now that this year’s fundraiser is concluded, Hardisty is grateful for the support of everyone who lent a hand.
“I’d love to give thanks to my mom, dad and sister Lisa for all their help and support,” he said. “And the entire community for coming together to donate empties and give cash donations.”
