Joey's Only is very proud of its franchisees' participation in their
local communities; many of whom go out of their way to help those in need.
Franchisee Paul Clissold and his staff proudly participate in a variety
of charitable golf tournaments throughout the year as a food sponsor. As
well, Joey's Only Penticton plays a key role in organizing Penticton's
Festival of Trees. Businesses purchase a tree and stand for $50 then
decorate it. The trees remain on display at a local hotel for public
viewing over the Christmas' season, after which the trees are raffled off.
Funds are raised through an nominal admission fee and the raffle. Proceeds
from this event go to the Alzheimer Resource Centre in Penticton, BC.
Mike and Deb Diakiw are very involved in their community, so to celebrate
their 3rd anniversary they decided to throw a celebration for the town. The
2-day event featured great deals on Joey's food, a silent auction, raffle,
in-store balloon drop, and a food tasting contest in a local shopping mall.
Public response was incredible. Mike and Deb proudly presented a cheque for
$1,000 the Good Samaritan Mountainview Centre, Alzheimer Cottage in Hinton, AB.
Heavily involved in the community for some years now, franchisee owner Ron
Gladys is a major supporter of the Regina Pats Junior Hockey Team. During
each home game, staff members don their Fat Fish mascot costume and wander
the arena giving away Joey's Only tattoos and stickers to children attending
the game. At one point in every game they run a promotional competition
pitting one section of the crowd against another. Two small take-out boxes
are passed hand over hand from the bottom of the participating section to
the top of that same section; the section who reaches the top fastest wins
free 3-piece Fish and Chip certificates.
Brenda Edge, co-owner of the Portage Avenue Joey's Only with Paul Lougheed,
is the #1 fundraiser in the system for our annual Fat Fish Fundraiser that
supports the Alzheimer Society at both the national and local level. Brenda's
loyal customers have supported this initiative year after year buying over
3,300 Fat Fishes at a cost of $1 each. Brenda does an exceptional job leading
her staff in selling the Fat Fish coupons; setting incredible goals that
they always seem to surpass.
Franchisees, Bob and Dan Sheppard, along with their tremendous staff organize
an annual event to feed Brantford's less fortunate on Boxing Day. In 2004,
more than 300 people spent at least part of the day digging in to free fish
and chip dinners. It was the second year in a row that the Brantford Joey's
Only offered needy people a free meal at Christmas. Vouchers were distributed
through social agencies. As well, an ad appeared in the local paper prior
to the event letting the public know about the dinner and allowing the public
to arrange for free tickets. Sheppard was delighted with the turnout and gave
credit to his staff and others who volunteered to help feed the hungry. Cathy
Maracle, the restaurant's kitchen manager, orchestrated the event and received
a lot of help from Joey's staff. "We said no one should go hungry at Christmas,
and near as I can tell, no on did," Sheppard said, adding the restaurant will
provide another free meal to the needy next Christmas. "It's going to become
our tradition."
Father and son franchisees, Dean and Matthew Brush help organize the Investor's
Cup golf tournament each year at Summerheights Golf Links. With Via Rail and The
Investors Group as co-sponsors, the event is a major local fundraiser in town
with net proceeds going to the local Alzheimer Society chapter. Golfers either pay
a $100 entry fee or they collect pledges of $100 or more in order to participate.
The participant who collects the most pledge money wins a grand prize. The Brush
family donates hours of their time organizing this event for a charity that is
very dear to their hearts.
Every Christmas Day for the last ten years, Diane Lee and Brian Strain, owners
of the Joey's Only Seafood Restaurant in St. Catharines have opened their doors
to some very special clientele. With the help of the local Salvation Army,
5-0 Taxi, an army of volunteers, Diane and Brian served St. Catharines homeless
an all you can eat feast of fish and chips dinner, complete with soup and eggnog.
From 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, staff and local volunteers served anywhere from 65 to
75 hungry customers. "The experience touched people who came to volunteer, as
well as those who came to enjoy the meal," said Diane.
