A LEGISLATIVE COMMEMORATION, Commemorating the Madison Dairy Queen for its entrepreneurial spirit, hard work, and dedication to helping children.

    WHEREAS, Madison's original Dairy Queen was built in the mid-1950's by John and Maude Holly and operated out of a small white shack. In the fall of 1963, DeWayne and Joanne Mork purchased the Dairy Queen of Madison which opened in March of 1964. DeWayne and Joanne built the current Dairy Queen building in Madison and operated it until 1998 when they passed the reins over to their son, DeLon Mork, who has continued their tradition of community involvement and service; and

    WHEREAS, for six consecutive years Madison Dairy Queen has outsold every Dairy Queen in the nation during Miracle Treat day. Miracle Treat Day is a yearly fundraising event held nationally to earn funds for the Children's Miracle Network, which was founded in 1983 to raise funds for children's hospitals; and

    WHEREAS, in 2011, DeLon Mork and the Madison Dairy Queen sold 25,648 blizzards, which earned sixty thousand dollars for Sanford's Children's Hospital in Sioux Falls; and

    WHEREAS, DeLon himself is a cancer survivor. He began participating in Miracle Treat Day in 2006, after his father died from cancer. Miracle Treat Day is close to DeLon's heart and he is so committed that he will go to such extremes as shaving his head and jumping out of airplanes to reach his yearly goal:

    NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT COMMEMORATED, by the Eighty-seventh Legislature of the State of South Dakota, that the Madison Dairy Queen and its owners and employees be recognized for their efforts to better their community and the lives of children throughout the country.