---

The owners of the Lindstrom Dairy Queen donated $3,300 to cover the cost of the uniforms for all 450 – 500 of LARA’s T-Ball, softball and baseball players from kindergarten through fourth grade this summer.

“Dairy Queen initiated this process when they asked if they could make a donation,” said Cris Merry, LARA board member and Director of LARA In-House Baseball and Traveling Softball. “Of course we said ‘Yes!’ In recent years, LARA has lost the use of some youth softball and baseball fields to road construction, development, etc., so we need to spend money to develop new fields. This means we have to find new sources of revenue to be able to continue to offer our current programs at reasonable prices. We want the kids to have fun and learn about sports and sportsmanship without having to worry about door-to-door fundraising.”

“We are doing this to give something back to the kids and parents of the Chisago Lakes area,” said Kay Hofmann, one of the owners of the Lindstrom Dairy Queen. “It’s our way of saying thanks for all of the support they’ve given our business over the years.”

Merry thanked Hofmann for DQ’s generosity and added, “We think Dairy Queen has set a great example for the rest of the local business community. We hope it will inspire other businesses to get involved or, if they’re already involved, continue to be involved in supporting youth sports programs.

---