Miracle Makers: IHOP Restaurants Flip for Chance to Help Golisano Children’s Hospital

Outstanding Commitment by a CMN Hospitals Sponsor

For the past six years, local IHOP restaurants have participated in National Pancake Day, a day in March when IHOP restaurants across the nation serve up free stacks of pancakes to customers and collect donations for local children’s hospitals. The fundraising event is coordinated by Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, a network of more than 170 hospitals throughout North America committed to helping children.

The two area IHOP restaurants, located at 556 Jefferson Road in Henrietta and 2190 North Goodman St. in Irondequoit, are always enthusiastic about the special day – they go out of their way to help kids. But this year, the restaurants went above and beyond to make a difference for the kids in our region.

When Betsy Findlay, director of Advancement for Golisano Children’s Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center, totaled up what the restaurants had raised last year, Jason Hargrave, general manager for the IHOP in Henrietta, said, “Oh, we’re going to blow those numbers out of the water.”

Hargrave fulfilled his promise to Golisano Children’s Hospital, doubling the amount the two restaurants had raised from the previous year at his IHOP restaurant alone. The Henrietta restaurant raised $3,450 and the Irondequoit IHOP raised $1,181 for the hospital.

The restaurants generated excitement among employees by challenging them to sell one and five dollar Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals balloons for the hospital and offering incentives for the most proactive employees. On Pancake Day, the IHOP restaurant employees sported Golisano Children’s Hospital t-shirts with the slogan “Making Miracles Happen” and took fun photos with a life-sized Sandy Strong cut-out for Golisano Children’s Hospital’s Facebook page.

“They were just so enthusiastic!” Findlay said. “We’re so grateful to them for their efforts and are very excited to show them how much we appreciate all that they’ve done.” 

Golisano Children’s Hospital is pleased to honor the two local IHOP restaurants with this year’s Miracle Maker Award for Outstanding Commitment by a CMN Hospitals Sponsor. Their spirit and passion for giving back certainly paid off and serves as an inspiring reminder to us all that a little motivation and creativity can go a long way.