Roof-Sit To Raise $5,000
Jerry Nolin is expecting to spend today and probably Wednesday and even Wednesday night on the roof of the Warsaw Dairy Queen, but he’s hoping the community will bail him out sooner rather than later.
Nolin and his wife, Jane, own and operate Dairy Queen at 2304 E. Winona Ave. Shortly before 1 p.m. today, Nolin claimed his perch atop the popular restaurant to raise awareness – and more importantly donations – for the Kosciusko County Riley Kids Fund. “Dairy Queen has a Miracle Treat Day every year which donates proceeds from all Blizzard sales to the Children’s Miracle Network,” says Jerry Nolin, “but this year I decided to do something more.”
Jerry plans to stay on the roof of Dairy Queen until $5,000 in donations is collected. He says he’s raising the money to benefit the local Riley Children’s Hospital fund which helps families of children who receive treatment at the specialty hospital. Already today he had collected about $1,800 in donations.
Nolin has chosen to raise the money for the local fund because his own friends and family right here in Kosciusko County rely upon the medical facility for their own children’s medical needs. Among them are business partners Alan Alderfer and Mike Bergen who not only have children who received medical care from Riley, but who also established the KC Riley Kids Fund to benefit Riley Children’s Hospital and to help assist area families served by the specialty hospital.
“It’s important for people to know that what I’m doing is separate from the Miracle Treat Day and that the money collected is staying in the county,” Nolin adds. “It’s going to the Kosciusko County Community Foundation for local people.”Miracle Treat Day to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network is this Thursday, and it’s an event Nolin says usually brings in between $4,000 and $5,000 to benefit the cause.
Nolin’s own nephew experienced the need for Riley’s Children’s Hospital as well, which touched the local Dairy Queen owner and was yet another factor in his quest to raise $5,000 for the fund. “I expect I’ll be spending two days and nights up there, but that’s ok,” says Nolin.
At about 6 p.m. Tuesday, the Winona Lake Fire Department is expected to deliver Nolin his dinner via the ladder truck. Anyone wanting to make donations to the cause can do so directly to Nolin, who will have a bucket that he will lower down to collect the money. “There will also be canisters inside,” he says.
For more information about the Kosciusko County Community Foundation and the Riley Kids Fund, visit www.kcfoundation.org.