A week of smiles has turned into a major boost for child care in the Interlake, as this year’s Tim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign exceeded expectations in support of the Stony Mountain Child Care Centre.
Representatives from the Stony Mountain Child Care Centre and local Tim Hortons locations celebrate the success of the 2026 Smile Cookie campaign,, which raised more than $25,000 to support daycare expansion and outdoor space improvements
The campaign, held April 27 to May 3 at Tim Hortons locations in Stonewall and Stony Mountain, raised $25,307.74 after more than 12,600 cookies were sold — far surpassing the original goal of 10,000 cookies.
Funds raised will go toward improvements to the centre’s infant outdoor play space, including new landscaping, as well as the addition of another infant room to help meet growing demand for child-care spaces.
Daria Lukie of the Stony Mountain Child Care Centre said the level of community support exceeded expectations.
“In my perspective, it’s a big news story because of how much the community rallied together,” she said. “I was worried since this year’s cookie fundraiser was a Stony Mountain recipient that Stonewall residents would be less inclined to support, but they absolutely showed up.”
Lukie said she visited both locations throughout the week and was encouraged by the steady turnout and enthusiasm from customers and volunteers alike.
Volunteers played a key role in the campaign’s success, helping decorate cookies, promote sales and support staff at both locations.
“We worked with Tim Hortons managers at both locations to ensure we had volunteers every night to decorate every single cookie — pre-orders and drive-thru — and we had parents, grandparents and even daycare staff come out after their shifts to help,” she said.
Volunteers were also stationed at drive-thrus and front counters to encourage sales, while children from the daycare contributed handmade posters to promote the campaign.
Local schools also contributed to the effort, with Bobby Bend School, Collège Stonewall Collegiate, Centennial School, Stony Mountain School and Grosse Isle School organizing pre-orders for students and families.
“It was very worth it. We’re so lucky everyone was so open to helping us with the campaign,” Lukie said.
She added that the support of local ownership and staff was instrumental in managing the busy week.
“We are so grateful for the owner, Jamie Pope, her store managers and all the staff,” she said. “It’s an incredibly busy week for them — handling regular operations, coordinating volunteers and helping decorate cookies when needed.”
With funds now secured, the centre is preparing to move forward with planned upgrades and expansion.
“We’ll officially be able to hire landscapers for our infant yard and open another daycare room to accept more children,” Lukie said.
“What a whirlwind, but worth every penny.”
