Each year in April, Pita Pit Canada franchisees raise funds for Make-A-Wish Canada
KINGSTON, ON–This year on April 29, Pita Pit Canada celebrated World Wish Day, an annual day of recognition and celebration of the wish granted to Chris Greicius in 1980 that inspired the creation of Make-A-Wish and its mission. Franchisees donated $1 from every pita sold to Make-A-Wish, helping the organization grant life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Throughout April, franchisees collected donations of $2 from customers who came through the store to share in the fundraising, through the ‘Stars for Wishes’ campaign.
This year, with $72,230 total raised, Pita Pit has now doubled its overall contribution to Make-A-Wish throughout their partnership and granted a total of 14 wishes to children in communities across Canada.
“Our partnership with Make-A-Wish has truly been one of the most rewarding experiences for our franchisees and the organization,” said Kevin Pressburger, President of Pita Pit Canada. “For many of us, our commitment to Make-A-Wish has become very personal. We become invested in not just making a difference for the wish recipients and their families but by embracing and sharing the significance of their stories to ensure we all understand the positive impact we should be making in our communities.”
Here are some of the wishes that Make-A-Wish has granted, due to Pita Pit’s charitable donations:
Levi, 5, Elgin County, ON. Levi is a five-year-old boy living with a nervous system disorder. Levi’s most cherished wish to visit a theme park in Florida came true. His family spent some quality time away without any medical visits or the stresses of everyday life.
Leah, 7, Kingston, ON. Leah is seven-years-old living with cancer. Leah loves to watch movies, read books, play with toys, dance, sing and listen to music (The Tragically Hip specifically).
Leah’s most heartfelt wish is to meet all her favourite movie characters at a theme park in Florida.
To the family’s surprise, Leah’s wish was revealed at a Pita Pit gathering in Kingston, ON earlier this year. Everyone took part in announcing to Leah that her wish will be granted in November. Leah was mesmerized by Paul Langlois from The Tragically Hip who attended this special wish reveal and serenaded her with one her favourite songs.
We look forward to sharing wish pictures and her story upon return!
Owen, 14, Brandon, MB. Owen is a 14-year-old living with Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Owen’s favourite things include math, chocolate, Fortnite, basketball, scootering, gaming and watching YouTube. Owen’s wish was to build his own customer scooter in California with The Vault Pro Scooters, YouTube channel. You can watch his experience here.
The team at Make-A-Wish is working very hard to coordinate and grant wishes to the other children and with Pita Pit’s support, share these experiences with their communities.
“The incredible support that we receive from Pita Pit allows us to grant wishes which can transform the lives of children and families,” said Chris Pon, vice-president, national corporate alliances, Make-A-Wish Canada. “When a wish is granted, a child replaces fear with confidence, sadness with joy and anxiety with hope – a powerful combination that may lead to better health outcomes. We are so grateful to work with the amazing team at Pita Pit. We thank them and their generous customers for helping make dreams come to life at such a critical time.”
Pita Pit Canada and Make-A-Wish Canada have had a long-standing partnership, now entering its fourth year. This partnership is looking to grow with new opportunities and higher fundraising including reaching a donation goal of $100,000 in 2020. Pita Pit Canada will continue to participate in Make-A-Wish® Rope for Hope, where it provided a catered lunch and volunteers at 10 events across the country.
To find out how you can contribute, or find the closest participating Pita Pit location, please contact info@pitapit.com. To find out more information about donating to Make-A-Wish directly, please contact nationaloffice@makeawish.ca or 1-888-822-9474.
ABOUT MAKE-A-WISH CANADA
Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. We are on a quest to bring every eligible child’s wish to life, because a wish is an integral part of a child’s treatment journey. Research shows children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight a critical illness. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Make-A-Wish is the world’s leading children’s wish-granting organization, serving children in every community in Canada, and in more than 50 countries worldwide. Together, generous donors, supporters, staff and more than 1,100 volunteers across the country grant more than one wish per day, on average. Since 1983, Make-A-Wish Canada has granted more than 8,000 wishes across the country; 655 last year alone. For more information about Make-A-Wish Canada, visit makeawish.ca.
ABOUT PITA PIT
Founded in 1995 in Kingston, Ontario, near Queen’s University, Pita Pit® is an innovative fast-casual restaurant with a unique mindset. Pita Pit challenges consumers to Refuse to Settle™ for anything less than quality, healthy, freshly grilled food. After rapidly earning a loyal following in its home market, franchising began across Canada in 1997 and, in 1999, the brand expanded to the United States. Now boasting 600 stores across North America and internationally across 13 countries, Pita Pit offers its customers millions of ridiculously delicious, customizable flavour combinations of grilled meats, fresh vegetables, and zesty sauces all rolled into a unique and convenient pita package.
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