Tropical Smoothie Café, the leading fast casual café concept known for its better-for-you food and smoothies, has exceeded expectations by raising a record breaking $1 million for their charity partner, Camp Sunshine. In its ninth annual National Flip Flop Day, Tropical Smoothie Café has outdone itself by collecting nearly $400,000 more than in 2014, largely due to its outstanding belief in Camp Sunshine and the brand’s commitment to its “Live Better” value. Camp Sunshine is a retreat that provides both medical and emotional support to children with life-threatening illnesses, as well as their families, at a time when they need it the most.

Held annually on the third Friday of June, Tropical Smoothie Café created National Flip Flop Day to celebrate all things tropical, and more importantly, to make a difference for those children and families throughout a challenging journey. Over 438 Tropical Smoothie Café locations joined forces in this year’s one-of-a-kind event, both through donation collection efforts and by handing out free 24-ounce Jetty Punch smoothies to flip flop–wearing guests. To date, this is the largest corporate gift received by Camp Sunshine since its founding in 1984, and Tropical Smoothie Café only hopes to top it in the years to come.

Tropical Smoothie Café CEO and Camp Sunshine Board Member, Mike Rotondo, went above and beyond to show his steadfast dedication to Camp Sunshine on June 19th, by walking a seven-mile trek through Manhattan in flip flops. Fully embracing the unpredictable New York City atmosphere, he happily handed out free, refreshing smoothies to floods of parched locals at some of the most iconic landmarks in New York City, including the American Museum of Natural History, Central Park, Times Square, Madison Square Park, and Battery Place. Through this tremendous effort, he was able to achieve his goals of raising awareness and additional funds for Camp Sunshine. Since 2008, Tropical Smoothie Café has raised over $3.6 million to provide terminally ill children and their families the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful grounds of Camp Sunshine.

“Tropical Smoothie Café is devoted to ensuring that Camp Sunshine thrives so it can continue to be a lifeline for children with life threatening illnesses, as well as their families who whole heartedly care for and love them,” says Mike Rotondo, CEO of Tropical Smoothie Café. “With support from our franchisees, guests, and the residents of New York City, we were able to hit our $1 million mark and are thrilled to know what a huge impact this will have for everyone at Camp Sunshine.”