Children’s Wish Foundation to get chili sale boost

The more chili Thunder Bay manages to eat in May, the happier some of the city’s children will be.

Jim Edwards, owner of both of Thunder Bay’s Wendy’s restaurants, has partnered with the local chapter of the Children’s Wish Foundation to help raise money to help sick children realize their biggest dreams.

“What we do is give a percentage of the chili sales to the Children’s Wish Foundation,” Edwards said, noting some might not think of May as a chili kind of month, but they’d be wrong.

“It’s funny. We sell as much chili on July 1 as we do Jan. 1. People love it.”

Children’s Wish Foundation chairman Andrew Coffey on Wednesday said he wishes there was no need for the organization, but he’s happy local businesses are willing to help out.

“I always say it’s bittersweet because we don’t like to see children get sick. But when they do, we help them out.”

Last year the Children’s Wish Foundation had a pool built for Connor McKinnon, a youngster diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

The most-often requested wish is a trip to Disney World, and this year Children’s Wish is sending a young girl to New Mexico to see the migratory monarch butterflies.

On average the organization delivers about seven wishes each year.

The chili fundraiser, which Wendy’s has sponsored in the past in support of the Kidney Foundation, could become an annual event, Edwards said.

“I’d like an ongoing partnership where we work together as a team and help the kids,” he said.

Edwards said he hasn’t put a figure on how much he’d like to raise, other than as much as possible.

The Thunder Bay entrepreneur has also stepped up to provide sponsorship to the charity’s annual golf tournament, which is scheduled for Sept. 8 at Whitewater Golf Club.