Smile Cookie Week Raises $14,110 for Riverside’s Lights, Camera, DIAGNOSIS! Campaign

May 07, 2026

here were plenty of smiles shared across the Rainy River District during this year’s Tim Hortons Smile Cookie Week, and the community response was nothing short of incredible.

Riverside Health Care is thrilled to announce that the local 2026 Tim Hortons Smile Cookie Week campaign raised an amazing $14,134 in support of the Lights, Camera, DIAGNOSIS! campaign.

Held from April 27 to May 3, 100% of the proceeds from every $2 chocolate chunk Smile Cookie sold at the Fort Frances Tim Hortons location were donated directly to Riverside’s fundraising campaign. By the end of the week, the community had purchased an incredible 7,067 cookies in support of bringing advanced diagnostic imaging services, including the district’s first MRI, closer to home.

From businesses purchasing cookies for staff and clients, to schools adding Smile Cookies as treat days, families picking up boxes to share, and individuals adding a cookie to their drive-thru order, the week once again showcased the incredible generosity and community spirit found across the district.

“We’re just amazed. We’re amazed at how the community showed up to purchase cookies, whether it was an individual cookie or a box of cookies. We were blown away by the support,” said Riverside’s Director of Fundraising, Holly Kaemingh.

Throughout the week, Riverside staff members joined in on the fun by volunteering their time to help decorate and deliver cookies, helping spread even more smiles across the community.

“Our staff had so much fun being part of this event,” added Kaemingh. “It was wonderful seeing our team come together to help add that extra smile to thousands of cookies heading out into the community. The energy and excitement throughout the week was truly incredible.”

Kaemingh noted that the Tim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign is unique in the way it actively brings communities together in support of local causes.

“What makes this campaign so special is that the community truly gets behind it,” she said. “It’s not simply about receiving a donation. People volunteer their time, businesses rally their teams, families participate together, and the entire community becomes part of the effort. The result is not only incredible financial support for local healthcare, but also relationships and memories that last well beyond the week itself.”

This year also marked the 30th anniversary of the Tim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign nationally, with the initiative raising a record-breaking $23.3 million for local charities and community groups across Canada and the United States.

Riverside extends heartfelt thanks to the Fort Frances Tim Hortons owners and team members, the incredible volunteers who helped decorate thousands of cookies, and every individual, business, school, community group, and organization that supported the campaign.

Together, one cookie and one smile at a time, our community is helping build Tomorrow’s Riverside, Today.