Tropical Smoothie Cafe, a leading fast casual cafe concept known for its better-for-you food and smoothies with a tropical twist, officially kicked off its 2017 fundraising campaign across 600 locations for community partner Camp Sunshine in Casco, Maine during the company’s annual National Flip Flop Day on June 16.

National Flip Flop Day is unique to support Camp Sunshine’s mission to provide an authentic camp experience for children with life threatening illnesses and their entire families.

“This year’s National Flip Flop Day was our most successful celebration to date. Over 500,000 guests visited our cafes, enjoyed a free Sunshine Smoothie and donated to Camp Sunshine. In just one day we raised nearly $200,000, which speaks volumes about our customers’ loyalty and commitment as they went above and beyond to support a cause that’s near and dear to our hearts,” says Mike Rotondo, CEO of Tropical Smoothie Cafe. “This year marked our 10th anniversary of raising money to support this amazing organization. I would like to personally thank our valued customers who reached into their pockets and donated enough funds to send close to 100 families to Camp Sunshine, as well as our amazing franchisees and crew for all of their efforts on National Flip Flop Day. Given this record breaking start, we are well on our way to our $1 million fundraising goal for this year.”

Camp Sunshine is the only program in the nation offered year-round with the distinction of having been designed to serve the entire family in a retreat model. The program is free of charge to families and includes on-site medical and psychosocial support. Bereavement sessions are also offered for families who have experienced the death of a child from a supported illness.

Donations made at any Tropical Smoothie Cafe location will help benefit sending local families