NORTHAMPTON – The month-long Cooley Cares for Kids fundraiser, an initiative to donate a $1 at participating Hampshire and Franklin County businesses, has raised more than $9,300 to benefit children who receive care at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

Tania Powers, a Northampton Burger King staff member,
helps a young donor display her Cooley Cares for Kids bear. 

The fundraiser, spearheaded by Stan Paulauskas, president of FPS, Inc. in Southampton, which operates 10 Burger King restaurants in western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut, got the idea based on the premise that “making a $1 donation will have a real impact on the health of children in our community and their future.”

Paulauskas was right. During the month of May, thousands of supporters purchased paper teddy bears for $1 and dropped spare change into canisters or Penny Arcade machines located at local branches of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®. These small acts of generosity totaled $9,308.

Founder of Dave’s Soda and Pet City, Dave Ratner with Lindsay, Assistant Manager in the Hadley store, present a check for $5,000 donated primarily by their generous customers.

The donations will be used to benefit the more than 9,000 children who range in age from newborns to teens and receive care at Cooley Dickinson each year. Those patients include babies and families in Cooley Dickinson’s Childbirth Center, where a healthy beginning of life is ensured; in the Pediatric Rehabilitation program, where children reach their full potential; and in the hospital’s Emergency Room, where specially-trained physicians and nurses are available 24/7 to handle life-threatening illnesses as well as broken bones, cuts and flus.

Participating businesses include the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, Anton Corliss Cleaners, Atkins Farms Country Market, Autumn Inn, Bird’s Store, Bluebonnet Diner, Boyden & Perron, Brewmaster’s Tavern, Buffalo Wild Wings, Burger King, CDH Cafeteria, CDH Coffee Shop, CDH Gift Shop, Clarion Hotel & Conference Center, Courtyard by Marriott, Dave’s Soda and Pet FoodCity, Easthampton Diner, Econo Lodge, Finck & Perras Insurance Agency, Four Seasons Wine & Liquor, Freedom Credit Union, Friendly’s, Greater Easthampton, Chamber of Commerce, Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce, Hatfield Market, Holiday Inn Express, Howard Johnson Inn, Look Restaurant, Miss Florence Diner, Nuttleman’s Florist, Pride Stations & Stores, Side Street Café, Sunderland Corner Store, TD Bank, The Pub, University Lodge, Wal-Mart, WEBS America’s Yarn Store, Zee Mart. The following businesses were underwriters of Cooley Cares for Kids: Burger King, Hadley Printing, Daily Hampshire Gazette, Kollmorgan and WHMP.