DQ Fundraiser for Point Boro 2nd Grader was Held Sat.

Point Pleasant Dairy Queen hosted a Cone Day on Saturday to help pay for medical expenses for an Ocean Road second grader.

The proceeds for cones purchased at the shop at 2506 Bridge Ave. will be donated to the family of Bridget Morris, who is recovering from emergency brain surgery, said Alex Viecelli, owner of the Point Pleasant Dairy Queen.

The surgery was successful and Bridget’s tumor was removed, but there are still lingering side effects.

Michele Haugh and other Borough residents have banded together to raise money to help with medical expenses since Bridget still has a lot of rehabilitation ahead of her.

When Haugh approached Viecelli, the owner of the Point Pleasant Dairy Queen, he was excited to host a fundraising event.

Bridget was admitted into the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia in March and  returned home at the end of May. Bridget’s return to normalcy is slow, but steady.

Bridget was able to join classmates at the school's field day and attend the school play.

“Bridget is just a sweet kid," Haugh said. "The past couple of years she attended a summer drama program where my daughter Alison was an instructor. Bridget has always been a friend to everyone.

“There is a team of moms putting this thing together to help Bridget’s family because we know how quickly the bills add up and we want to provide support,” Haugh said.

Families of Bridget's classmates helped provide meals for the family when they returned home.

Bridget is not the first benefactor of a local Dairy Queen fundraiser. Years ago, a family from Brick had a child who was terminally ill and they approached Viecelli to ask for his help.

He worked closely with the family to create a way to help them. “That’s how cone day started,” he recounts.

Viecelli’s continued acts of kindness stem from memories of his sister who died at the age of 5 in the 1960s from a brain tumor she was born with.

“What I remember most were the parents in the community,” Viecelli explains. “They would come over everyday just to help out our family.”

This strong sense of community is something that inspired Viecelli, a fondness he will always hold dear to his heart.

The strong community bonds in town are inspiring and Viecelli’s continued involvement is the cherry on top.

He urges everyone to “please come down and buy a cone. Let’s see how many cones we can get!”

-- Stephanie Farber