By Curtis Galbraith

Launch held for Smile Cookie campaign

Sep 13, 2018 | 2:58 PM

An annual fund-raiser for the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital Foundation launched at the downtown Tim Horton’s today.
 
A dollar from every Smile Cookie sold from September 17 to the 23 will go to the Foundation.
 
Senior Development Officer Dawn Miller says money raised will go towards two playrooms at the new hospital.
 
“We have a room that’s for smaller children, so you’ll have slides and things geared to younger children. Then, we’ll have a teen room as well. So, bean bag chairs and gaming systems and things that are more for teenagers that are spending time there.”
 
We asked Miller if this week’s news about the hospital was a concern.
 
“There’s only 25 percent left. The government has already posted for RFPs and they’re hoping to have someone by the end of October, starting into November. It’s moving forward and if there’s any information they want, they should go to the government website. That will give them updates to where the government’s at with this.”
 
Local businessman and Foundation board member Sean Sargent has already bought 20,000 cookies that will be given away to school kids, college students, and emergency personnel.
 
“Our family and our businesses have been in Grande Prairie for close to 100 years and Grande Prairie’s been great to us. I firmly believe that we have to give back to our community in time, energy, and money and the Smile Cookie campaign is a great way for us to do that.”
 
Miller says they hope to sell 50,000 Smile Cookies this year